(LVIV, Ukraine) — The Ukrainian military says it has repelled a Russian attempt to take control of the strategic port of Mariupol.
The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said in a statement that Russian forces retreated after suffering losses.
The Russian military has besieged the Azov Sea port city of 430,000 people for a week and a half, leaving its residents desperate for power, water and food. More than 2,500 residents of Mariupol have been killed by the Russian shelling.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in televised remarks that Russian shelling on Monday thwarted another attempt to deliver food and medicines to the city.
A humanitarian convoy of 160 civilian cars left Mariupol after repeated failures to evacuate civilians because of Russian shelling.
The Kremlin-backed leader of the Russian region of Chechnya says that Chechen fighters are spearheading a Russian offensive on the strategic port of Mariupol.
Chechnya’s regional leader Ramzan Kadyrov said on the messaging app Telegram that Chechen fighters went about 1 mile inside the Azov Sea city before pausing their attack when night fell.
Kadyrov said his close associate Adam Delimkhanov is leading Chechen fighters in Mariupol.
