More than 1,000 fighters are still at the besieged Azovstal steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said.
Hundreds of them are injured, the politician said. Some are seriously injured and need to be evacuated urgently, she said. “The situation is getting worse by the day.”
According to the city council, there are also at least a hundred civilians in the tunnel system below the extensive site. However, it was previously said that all civilians had left the site.
The Russian army would still attack the complex with heavy equipment. The day before, the Ministry of Defense in Kyiv reported shelling by tanks, rockets and artillery.
The Azov regiment defending the factory says many Russian aircraft have also been sighted over the site in the past 24 hours.