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world news Diaranson 25 Mei 2022

Ukraine: 200 bodies found in basement in Mariupol's ruins

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — As Kharkiv, Ukraine's sec-
Workers digging through ond-largest city, recovers
the rubble of an apartment from weeks of relentless
building in Mariupol found bombardment, residents
200 bodies in the basement, formed long lines to receive
Ukrainian authorities said rations of flour, pasta, sugar
Tuesday, as more horrors and others staples this week.
come to light in the ruined Moscow's forces withdrew
city that has seen some of from around Kharkiv earlier
the worst suffering of the this month, pulling back to-
3-month-old war. ward the Russian border.
The bodies were decompos- Galina Kolembed, the aid
ing and the stench hung over distribution center coordina-
the neighborhood, said Petro tor, said that more and more
Andryushchenko, an adviser people are returning to the
to the mayor. He did not say city. Kolembed said the cen-
when they were discovered, ter is providing food to over
but the sheer number of 1,000 people every day, a
victims makes it one of the number that keeps growing.
deadliest known attacks of "Many of them have small
the war. kids, and they spend their
Heavy fighting, meanwhile, money on the kids, so they
continued in the Donbas, the need some support with
eastern industrial region that food," she said.
Moscow's forces are intent Meanwhile, the wife of the
on seizing. Russian troops top commander who held
intensified their efforts to out inside the Azovstal steel
encircle and capture Sievi- mill in Mariupol said Tues-
erodonetsk and neighboring day that she had a brief tele-
cities. phone conversation with her
Mariupol was relentlessly husband, who surrendered to
pounded during a nearly the Russians and was taken
three-month siege that end- prisoner last week.
ed last week after some 2,500 Kateryna Prokopenko, who
Ukrainian fighters aban- a maternity hospital and a es in the Donbas for eight important city of Kramatorsk. is married to Azov Regiment
doned a steel plant where theater where civilians were years and hold large swaths Two top Russian officials ap- leader Denys Prokopenko,
they had made their stand. taking shelter. An Associated of territory. Sievierodonetsk peared to acknowledge that said the call broke off before
Russian forces already held Press investigation found that and neighboring cities are Moscow's advance has been he could say anything about
the rest of the city, where an close to 600 people died in the only part of the Donbas' slower than expected, though himself.
estimated 100,000 people re- the theater attack, double the Luhansk region still under they vowed the offensive She said the call was made
main out a prewar population figure estimated by Ukraini- Ukrainian government con- would achieve its goals. possible under an agreement
of 450,000, many of them an authorities. trol. Nikolai Patrushev, secretary between Ukraine and Russia,
trapped during the encircle- Ukrainian President Volody- Russian forces have achieved of Russia's Security Council. mediated by the Red Cross.
ment with little food, water, myr Zelenskyy accused the "some localized successes" said the Russian government Prokopenko and Yuliia Fe-
heat or electricity. Russians of waging "total despite strong Ukrainian "is not chasing deadlines." dosiuk, the wife of another
At least 21,000 people were war" and seeking to inflict as resistance along dug-in po- And Defense Minister Ser- soldier, said several families
killed in the siege, accord- much death and destruction sitions, British military au- gei Shoigu told a meeting of received calls in the past two
ing to Ukrainian authorities, as possible on his country. thorities said. a Russia-led security alliance days. The women said they
who have accused Russia of "Indeed, there has not been Moscow's troops also took of former Soviet states that are hopeful the soldiers will
trying to cover up the horrors such a war on the European over the town of Svitlodarsk Moscow is deliberately slow- not be tortured and will even-
by bringing in mobile crema- continent for 77 years," Zel- and raised the Russian flag ing down its offensive to al- tually "come back home."
tion equipment and by bury- ensky said, referring to end of there, Ukrainian media re- low residents of encircled Russian authorities have
ing the dead in mass graves. World War II. ported. Svitlodarsk is about cities to evacuate — though threatened to put Mariupol
During the assault on Mari- Moscow-backed separatists 50 kilometers (31 miles) forces have repeatedly hit ci- defenders on trial on war
upol, Russian airstrikes hit have fought Ukrainian forc- southeast of the strategically vilian targets. crimes charges.

Turkey's Erdogan threatens new incursion into Syria

ANKARA, Turkey (AP) along our southern border," Kurdistan Workers' Party, sales to Turkey following An- 2019.
— Turkish President Recep Erdogan said. or PKK which is listed as a kara's incursion into Syria in
Tayyip Erdogan threatened Erdogan did not provide terror group by Turkey, the
Monday to launch a new further details but said the United States and the Euro-
military operation in Syria operation would begin after pean Union. The PKK has
to secure Turkey's southern Turkey's military, intelligence waged an insurgency against
border. and security forces complete Turkey since 1984. Tens of
Speaking following a Cabinet their preparations. thousands of people have
meeting, Erdogan said the Turkish forces have launched died in the conflict.
aim of the operation would three major incursions into Erdogan's comments come at
be resume Turkish efforts northern Syria, taking con- a time when Turkey is object-
to create a 30-kilometer (20 trol of areas along the border ing to Sweden and Finland's
mile) safe zone along its bor- in a bid to secure its frontier membership in the NATO
der with Syria. from threats from the Islamic alliance, citing the two coun-
"We will soon take new steps State group and Kurdish mi- tries alleged support for the
regarding the incomplete litia group, the People's Pro- PKK and other groups that
portions of the project we tection Units, or YPG. Turkey views as terrorists, as
started on the 30-km deep Turkey views the group as well as their decision to im-
safe zone we established an extension of the banned pose restrictions on military