By Greg Vega 
Russia is under Mariupol control and is now said to have been captured by more Ukrainian forces. News ticker.
- Azov steel plant collapses: Russia has achieved a strategically significant victory in the Ukraine war.
- New bins for front: Moscow sends modern tanks to war with Ukraine.
- Morning Situation: All news about the conflict in Ukraine from night to day, overview of the day.
+++ 10.00 am: According to pro-Russian separatists, most of the remaining Ukrainian soldiers have been captured in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol. Meanwhile, Donetsk regional separatist leader Denis Pussilin said on Russian state television on Thursday (May 19) that more than half of the militants who had stationed themselves on the Azovstel steelwork had left the plant. The Moscow Defense Ministry had earlier said that 959 Azovstal militants had surrendered since the beginning of the week. This number was not further confirmed by the Ukrainian side.
On the Russian side, about 2,500 people are said to have stayed in the extensive bunkers of the steel plant before the evacuation work began. The Ukrainians talked about about 1000 people. The information cannot be verified independently. It is also unclear whether Moscow – in Kiev’s hope – will agree to exchange troops for Russian prisoners of war.
Shortly after the start of the war of aggression, Russian troops, along with pro-Russian separatists, besieged Mariupol in early March and captured it completely within weeks. The fighters at Steelworks became the last defenders of the strategically important city in the Sea of Azov.
Ukraine News: Ukrainian troops report more regional gains
Update Thursday, May 19 from 6:30 p.m .: Fighting continues for Donetsk and Luhansk regions. The Ukrainian military has repeatedly recorded victories in these regions, but on Wednesday it announced that 15 civilians had been killed. At least one of them was a child. No changes in regional control were reported during the Ukraine war.
Russia, meanwhile, has blamed Ukraine for more attacks on Russian territory. The shelling is said to have taken place in several places in the Kursk region, which borders Ukraine. There were reports from Kiev that Russia had shelled the Sumi and Chernihiv regions in northeastern Ukraine.
+++ 8.55 pm: According to the Ukrainian military, it has gained more territory around the eastern Ukrainian metropolitan area of Kharkiv. Public servants announced on Facebook that the city of Dementievka in the north had been liberated. According to Tagesschau, the village is about eight kilometers from the Russian border. In the past few weeks, Ukrainian troops have been able to repel Russian attacks in the north and northeast of Kharkiv.
The situation is very difficult near the village of Ternova, northeast of Kharkiv. Russian troops are said to have retaliated. Fighting also continued in the village of Dawhenke, 25 kilometers from the Slovak Zones in eastern Ukraine.
+++ 8pm: According to Ukrainian sources, about 1,288 bodies were found in the area around Kiev. According to Ukrainian officials, the people were tortured, raped and hanged by Russian soldiers. “I reiterate, these are civilians! Most of them were shot with automatic weapons,” police chief Andrei Nepidov told television. The atrocities continued until the withdrawal of Russian troops in April.
Ukraine News: Volodymyr Zelenskyy wants to extend martial law
+++ 6.40pm: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zhelensky has spoken out in support of extending martial law in his country. Zelenskyj plans to expand by the end of the summer, considering the war of Russian occupation. The President of Ukraine has already submitted the draft law. Now there must be an emergency for at least another 90 days. Martial law has been in place in Ukraine since February 24, when Russian troops began their offensive. It expired on May 24.
Ukraine News: High-ranking Ukrainian generals are engaged in steel work
+++ 4pm: Although many soldiers have “surrendered” from the Mariupol steel plant, according to the Kremlin, senior Ukrainian generals are still said to be at the plant. Local media reported on Wednesday that pro-Russian separatist leader Denis Pussilin had said they had not yet surrendered. The DAN news agency quoted Pussilin as saying that none of the hundreds of militants who surrendered were top commanders. “They haven’t left (the facility) yet,” he said.
+++ 1pm: Russian President Vladimir Putin is leaving the besieged port city of Mariupol for his “Bloodhound”. This means that Ramzan Kadyrov has already caused an international outcry over his atrocities. Among other things, the head of the Chechen paramilitary forces in Russia is said to have instructed “supervisors” in Mariupol to monitor the situation. Meanwhile, Kadiro’s cousin Adam Telimkanov is said to be serving as field commander in the port city.
+++ 10.30 am: People fleeing Mariupol report horrific conditions in a city captured by Russia. The Russian military is said to be firing on civilian buildings, leading to ever-increasing casualties. “People are dying. The whole city is in chaos,” one resident who escaped told the Kiev Independent news portal.
+++ 09.00 am: In addition to modern tanks, Russia is sending more helicopters to the war in Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense, the Kremlin has sent 15 attack helicopters to the Luhansk region. They are aimed at assisting the attackers by infiltrating the defensive lines in the country’s difficult east. After the fall of Mariupol, the Kremlin now focuses entirely on its efforts to capture the Donbass.
Ukraine News: Fall of Azov Steel Plant – Russia seizes Mariupol
First Report Wednesday, May 18, 08:00 AM: Kiev – Russia captures Azov Steelworks in Mariupol, which fought hard in the Ukraine war. The remaining 260 Ukrainian soldiers were captured. This was reported by the Ukrainian and Russian sides.
The fate of Ukrainian prisoners of war is not clear. President Volodymyr Zhelensky said Wednesday night (May 18) that international mediators would be used to rescue soldiers from Russian grip. Kiev expects subsequent transfer of Russian prisoners of war. Moscow again initially opened such a step. Instead, the Kremlin released a video showing Ukrainians being captured, receiving medical treatment and evacuating the wounded. More than 50 players are said to have been seriously injured.
Ukraine News: Russia seizes Azov steel plant in Mariupol
The three-month struggle for the Azov steel plant came to an end. In some cases, 1,000 civilians and at least several soldiers are said to be lurking there. With the victory, Ukraine’s last resistance in Mariupol can be defeated. Fears are now spreading in Kiev that Russia may now destroy evidence related to war crimes in the port city. “The killers are hiding their tracks,” says a statement released by the city’s ousted government shortly before it was captured by Russian troops.
Ukraine News: Russia sends new tanks to war after Mariupol victory
While Russia celebrates its victory in Mariupol, Vladimir Putin’s army in eastern Ukraine is said to continue to suffer heavy casualties. According to unconfirmed reports, the air defense is constantly attacking the attackers. To force victory in the Ukraine war, the military leadership, as in Mariupol, is now advancing its state-of-the-art tanks. A full train full of T-90M tanks is said to be on its way to Ukraine. This was reported by the daily Izvestia. Accordingly, the tanks must come fresh from the Uralvagonzavod plant, the world’s largest tank factory. (AFP / dpa with dil / tu / kh / vbu / nak)