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WORLD NEWS Wednesday 25 May 2022
Ukraine: 200 bodies found in basement in Mariupol’s ruins

By ELENA BECATOROS, edge that Moscow’s ad-
OLEKSANDR STASHEVSKYI vance has been slower
and RICARDO MAZALAN than expected, though
Associated Press they vowed the offensive
KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Work- would achieve its goals.
ers digging through the Nikolai Patrushev, secretary
rubble of an apartment of Russia’s Security Council.
building in Mariupol found said the Russian govern-
200 bodies in the base- ment “is not chasing dead-
ment, Ukrainian authori- lines.”
ties said Tuesday, as more And Defense Minister Ser-
horrors come to light in the gei Shoigu told a meet-
ruined city that has seen ing of a Russia-led security
some of the worst suffering alliance of former Soviet
of the 3-month-old war. states that Moscow is delib-
The bodies were decom- erately slowing down its of-
posing and the stench fensive to allow residents of
hung over the neighbor- encircled cities to evacu-
hood, said Petro Andryush- ate — though forces have
chenko, an adviser to the repeatedly hit civilian tar-
mayor. He did not say when gets.
they were discovered, but As Kharkiv, Ukraine’s sec-
the sheer number of victims Undertakers lower the coffin of Ukrainian serviceman Oleksander Matyukhin, 32, in Kharkiv, ond-largest city, recovers
makes it one of the dead- eastern Ukraine, Monday, May 23, 2022. from weeks of relentless
liest known attacks of the Associated Press bombardment, residents
war. formed long lines to re-
Heavy fighting, meanwhile, of 450,000, many of them attack, double the figure cities are the only part of ceive rations of flour, pasta,
continued in the Donbas, trapped during the en- estimated by Ukrainian au- the Donbas’ Luhansk re- sugar and others staples
the eastern industrial re- circlement with little food, thorities. gion still under Ukrainian this week. Moscow’s forc-
gion that Moscow’s forces water, heat or electricity. Ukrainian President Volody- government control. es withdrew from around
are intent on seizing. Rus- At least 21,000 people were myr Zelenskyy accused the Russian forces have Kharkiv earlier this month,
sian troops intensified their killed in the siege, accord- Russians of waging “total achieved “some localized pulling back toward the
efforts to encircle and cap- ing to Ukrainian authorities, war” and seeking to inflict successes” despite strong Russian border.
ture Sievierodonetsk and who have accused Russia as much death and de- Ukrainian resistance along Galina Kolembed, the aid
neighboring cities. of trying to cover up the struction as possible on his dug-in positions, British mili- distribution center coordi-
Mariupol was relentlessly horrors by bringing in mo- country. tary authorities said. nator, said that more and
pounded during a nearly bile cremation equipment “Indeed, there has not Moscow’s troops also took more people are returning
three-month siege that and by burying the dead in been such a war on the over the town of Svitlodarsk to the city. Kolembed said
ended last week after some mass graves. European continent for 77 and raised the Russian flag the center is providing food
2,500 Ukrainian fighters During the assault on Mari- years,” Zelensky said, refer- there, Ukrainian media re- to over 1,000 people every
abandoned a steel plant upol, Russian airstrikes hit ring to end of World War II. ported. Svitlodarsk is about day, a number that keeps
where they had made their a maternity hospital and Moscow-backed separat- 50 kilometers (31 miles) growing.
stand. Russian forces al- a theater where civilians ists have fought Ukrainian southeast of the strategi- “Many of them have small
ready held the rest of the were taking shelter. An As- forces in the Donbas for cally important city of Kra- kids, and they spend their
city, where an estimated sociated Press investiga- eight years and hold large matorsk. money on the kids, so they
100,000 people remain tion found that close to 600 swaths of territory. Sieviero- Two top Russian officials need some support with
out a prewar population people died in the theater donetsk and neighboring appeared to acknowl- food,” she said.q

Turkey’s Erdogan threatens new

incursion into Syria

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — deep safe zone we estab- militia group, the People’s
Turkish President Recep lished along our southern Protection Units, or YPG.
Tayyip Erdogan threatened border,” Erdogan said. Turkey views the group as
Monday to launch a new Erdogan did not provide an extension of the banned
military operation in Syria further details but said the Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or
to secure Turkey’s southern operation would begin af- PKK which is listed as a terror
border. ter Turkey’s military, intelli- group by Turkey, the United
Speaking following a Cabi- gence and security forces States and the European
net meeting, Erdogan said complete their prepara- Union. The PKK has waged
the aim of the operation tions. an insurgency against Tur- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan inspects a military
would be resume Turkish Turkish forces have key since 1984. Tens of honour guard during a ceremony marking the docking of a
efforts to create a 30-kilo- launched three major in- thousands of people have submarine, in Kocaeli, Turkey, Monday, May 23, 2022.
meter (20 mile) safe zone cursions into northern Syr- died in the conflict. Erdo- Associated Press
along its border with Syria. ia, taking control of areas gan’s comments come at
“We will soon take new along the border in a bid a time when Turkey is ob- two countries alleged sup- cision to impose restrictions
steps regarding the incom- to secure its frontier from jecting to Sweden and Fin- port for the PKK and other on military sales to Turkey
plete portions of the project threats from the Islamic land’s membership in the groups that Turkey views as following Ankara’s incur-
we started on the 30-km State group and Kurdish NATO alliance, citing the terrorists, as well as their de- sion into Syria in 2019.q