Russia claims capture of key Ukrainian transport hub
Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of “looting” thousands of tons of metal from Mariupol via the first ship to use the southern city’s port since Moscow seized control of it last week.
Russian forces are exporting 3,000 tons of metal products to the southern Russian port city of Rostov-on-Don, said Ukraine’s human rights ombudsman, Lyudmila Denisova. In the process, they removed mines from part of the seaport and began to restore railroad connections in Mariupol and Volnovakha, about 40 miles north.
The Russian state-owned news agency Tass appeared to confirm Denisova’s account. Citing an unnamed port administration official, the news outlet reported Saturday that a ship had entered the port and would be loaded with 2,700 tons of metal before leaving for Rostov-on-Don on Monday.
The ship’s departure may signal Russia making good on its promise this month to ship goods through Mariupol — the largest trading port on the Sea of Azov and a de facto land bridge between Russia and its separatist allies in Crimea. Russia carried out a brutal assault on Mariupol, depriving it of basic supplies and reportedly killing tens of thousands of civilians, for months before taking full control of the city May 20.
