Update on the Mauripol steel plant

[Tomconroy]

This is from tonight's daily briefing by the Institute for the Study of War:


Supporting Effort #1—Mariupol (Russian objective: Capture Mariupol and reduce the Ukrainian defenders)

Russian forces continued to conduct air and artillery strikes against the remaining Ukrainian defenders in the Azovstal Steel Plant on May 18.[19] The Russian Ministry of Defense stated that 694 Ukrainian servicemen surrendered to Russian forces between May 17 to 18 and claimed that nearly 1,000 had surrendered in all since evacuations began.[20] Leader of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DNR) Denis Pushilin claimed that all the high-ranking Ukrainian commanders have not yet left the plant. ISW cannot independently confirm that Ukrainian servicemen remain in Azovstal, but continued Russian air and artillery strikes make it highly likely that there are still some Ukrainian troops in the plant.[21]


So presumably there are still Ukraine soldiers in there and the Russians are still afraid to go in and get them.
The Battle goes on.

[BootinUp]

1. Patreus couldn't heap enough praise

On these Ukrainian soldiers/ fighters in Mariupol.