accusing the russians of violating the promise of a truce and preventing the evacuation of civilians who continue to hide deep in bunkers at azovstal. the u.s. and red cross organized the evacuation of one group of about 100 civilians at the weekend. since then, none has left. now, there is hope of another convoy reaching mariupol. as we speak, the convoy is proceeding to get to azovstal by tomorrow morning. hopefully, to receive those civilians remaining in that bleak hell that they have inhabited for so many weeks and months. take them back to safety. reporter: speaking to me earlier, the military governor of donetsk was much more cautious. tr translator: we would like to be frank with all did a respect to the u.n. and the red cross, the conditions that are such
that the occupier keeps changing them. reporter: the russians and the allies, the separatists and the people s republic are showing off their newly won territory. or at least the ruins they fought to seize. this commander points to massive crater just outside the azovstal plant. he says the borders of ukrainian soldiers are everywhere. we find more and more of them, he adds. amidst the ruins of mariupol, once a thriving city of 400,000 people, the new authorities are changing the road signs to russian. ukrainian officials suspect they will organize a parade on may 9th when russia celebrates its victory in the second world war. whether the azovstal complex is empty and quiet by then or still being pulverized, no one knows. what is certain are the scars that will remain. cnn, lviv, ukraine. joining me now from kyiv, the
a ukrainian commander says wounded soldiers inside the azovstal steel works are dying in terrible agony. those who are able are fighting to defend the plant. more now from cnn s isa suarez. reporter: ukrainian soldiers trapped in the azovstal plant singing. it is sweeter for to us die in battle than to live in chains as dumb slaves, they sink in the darkness. a few of the dozens of ukrainian fighters defending the last patch of mariupol not in russian hands. above them, the bombardment continues. relentlessly. later, one of the commanders with a message for the world. it s been the third day that the enemy has broken through the territory of azovstal. fierce bloody combat is ongoing, he says.
chief editor of the multimedia project ukraine world. thank you for being hear with us. i would like to start with what we just saw there. the resistance in mariupol. what kind of symbol are those fighters becoming for ukrainians? they re becoming a symbol of heroic people. really heroic people. the plan is called azovstal, which means azov steel. and there is lots of images, lots of this symbolic images that there are people of steel. imagine the russians wants to conquer ukraine in three days and now they cannot really conquer, fully conquer mariupol in over two months. so it is already approaching three months. and this is, of course, the heroic struggle. yeah. many have speculated that putin needs a victory there to present to russians in time for victory day on monday.
i m emily beach, and i approve this message because nothing is more important than standing up for- - [all] our rights. right now. you watching us here in the united states, canada, and all around the world. this is cnn s world headquarters in atlanta. the u.n. and red cross are hoping to get more civilians out of the besieged city of mariupol. the reports of fierce bloody combat are making things difficult. the donetsk military says about 200 civilians remain trapped inside the azovstal steel plan.