(05-02-2022, 01:00 AM)p_rushing Wrote:

(05-01-2022, 10:04 PM)americus 2.0 Wrote: Glad to hear the U.N. finally decided to do something about those folks stuck in the Azovstol (sp?) steel works plant. At least some were able to finally get out but the sick and injured should be a priority. Sadly they're not as easy to evacuate and Putin would probably go nuts if the U.N. were to go in that place to get them out.

Putin has been offering to get them out for over a week, at least publicly. There has been 1 side not allowing the civilians to leave and it wasn't Russia. There are lots of videos from the civilians talking about being forced to stay there and used as shields. Now it could be PR with Russia saying release a video or we kill you but it doesn't appear to be that.

There have been some military caught trying to leave as civilians in the past week or 2. Then you have Ukrainian leadership saying they will fight to the last man.

The issue is the people are in the tunnels with Azov and the mercenaries. Russia stopped the cleanup they were doing and didn't enter the tunnels. That would be hard to fight in the tunnels and both sides would lose people. Russia could gas them out but they don't appear to want to harm any civilians there. The ones who have surrendered have talked about the conditions and the threat to anyone leaving being shot in the back. They are basically out of supplies but for whatever reason the fighters still are keeping civilians there and are not surrendering.

PR aside, Russia isn't advancing and is holding positions to stop any military from escaping. If everyone were to surrender, that would allow the civilians to get help. Otherwise it is going to be a while until it's safe to enter the tunnels. You don't know what has been rigged up so no one would be safe from either side.

It goes back to what's so important about the tunnels. It sounds more and more likely that NATO countries are there, foreign mercenaries have been part of the surrendered and deaths. Rumors of US general being there, crazy stuff happening in the tunnels, etc. Who knows what is true but it appears something valuable is there as Ukraine doesn't want to give them up and Russia doesn't want to destroy them.

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