Russia allegedly fired phosphorus bombs at the Azov steel plant in the port city of Mariupol, according to Ukrainian sources. “Hell has come to earth. In Azovstal,” Mariupol City Council deputy Petro Andryushchenko wrote on the Telegram news channel on Sunday. He talked about phosphorus bombs, but initially there was no evidence.
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Such incendiary bombs ignite on contact with oxygen and cause devastating damage. Their use against humans is prohibited. Andryushchenko posted a video with aerial photos showing a rain of fire falling on the plant. Artillery shelling of the industrial zone could also be seen on the initially unverifiable recordings of uncertain origin.
The commander of the separatist brigade in Donetsk “Vostok” (east), Alexander Khodakowski, and Russian war correspondents also published the video on Sunday and spoke of an attack on the factory premises with incendiary projectiles.
Andryushchenko also posted images showing inscriptions on bombs. As a result, the Russian military reportedly reacted to Ukraine’s victory in the Eurovision Song Contest (ESC). We did not know where these photos came from.
The alleged bombs read in Russian: “Kalusha, as requested! Auf Azovstal” and in English “Help Mariupol – Help Azovstal right now” (in German: Helft Mariupol – Helft Azovstal immediately) with the date of May 14. The singer of the group Kalush Orchestra, which won the ESC, said these words in a call on the Turin stage.
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In the Ukrainian comments, one could read that the phosphorus bombs were the Russian salute to the victory of the CES. Russian media reported the victory on Sunday evening, but unlike in previous years, state television was not allowed to air the show. Russia is excluded from the CES because of the war of aggression against Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian sources, around 1,000 defenders of Mariupol are entrenched in the steelworks. They refuse Russian calls to surrender. Regarding the bombing of the steel plant, the Russian hate comments also indicated that the fighters had now had enough time to get out of the industrial zone. The Ukrainian government has declared that it will do everything possible to save the defenders of Mariupol. (dpa)