Ukraine stated Thursday that Russia was “trying to destroy” its last soldiers in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel complex, with Kyiv’s final defenders in the shattered city claiming Moscow forces had penetrated inside the massive industry.

“Russian occupiers are focusing on blocking and trying to destroy Ukrainian units in the Azovstal area,” Kyiv’s army said in a statement.

“With the support of aircraft, Russia resumed the offensive in order to take control of the plant.”

Late Wednesday, a commander of the Azov brigade, which is in charge of Mariupol’s defence, stated that Russian forces had infiltrated the facility and that “ongoing, terrible clashes” were taking place.

“For two days, the enemy has burst into the enclosure of the steelworks,” Azov commander Denys Prokopenko stated in a Telegram video.

“The situation is extremely difficult but despite this we continue to execute the order to hold the defence.”

The Ukrainian battalions, he added, were “resisting” despite being outmanned by the Russians.

On Wednesday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appealed to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to assist in “save” his troops in Azovstal, requesting “the removal of all the wounded.”

The announcement came just before a Russian-announced cease-fire was set to begin at the besieged factory, where hundreds of Ukrainian military and residents have been trapped for weeks.

Later, in a separate video message, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko stated that there were still people stranded in Azovstal, including “women and children,” and that Kyiv was “negotiating” to rescue them.

He explained that “it takes time to simply lift people out of these underground shelters.”

“In current conditions, we cannot use special equipment to clear the debris. Everything is done manually.“

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