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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Matt Gibson

Haunting satellite images show utter devastation wrought on Azovstal steel works

Aerial images have revealed the devastating extent of the bombardment on the Azovstal steel works in Ukraine over recent days.

Smoke can be seen rising from several areas of the plant in the pictures from May 3 and May 4 released by satellite imaging firm Planet.

Images from a few days earlier show the immediate aftermath of explosions at the site as fires rage and thick plumes of smoke emanate from where bombs landed.

The Azovstal steel and iron works is a large industrial complex located in the east of Mariupol that stretches across four square miles of the city.

Two main access points for the site were separate bridges across the Kalmius river but both have been obliterated by the shelling.

Satellite image released by Planet Labs PBC shows the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on May 3, 2022 (Planet Labs PBC/AFP via Getty Im)

Giant craters around the entrance are evidence of multiple attacks in the area.

And several buildings in the middle of the plant have also been totally wiped out as a result of the bombardment.

Satellite photo released by Planet Labs PBC shows the steel and iron works on May 4, 2022 (Planet Labs PBC/AFP via Getty Im)

Mills and warehouses, also located at the heart of the factory, have sustained severe damage as well. All parts of the buildings have been battered by relentless shelling.

Screengrabs taken from video shot in the wake of the warehouse bombings show thick plumes of smoke billowing into the sky as fires burn.

Explosions at Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant (Interior Ministry of the Donetsk)

Russian troops stormed the plant on April 19 and destroyed large areas, however, pockets of organised resistance fighters remain at the plant.

Those remaining are refusing to surrender to the Russian demands.

Experts have suggested that Russian forces may live to regret their destruction of the site if they successfully clear out the remaining few Ukrainian defenders.

Ed Arnold, a research fellow at the defence think tank RUSI, told Sky News: "The Russians need the Azovstal plant to work if they want to control and govern Mariupol going forward.

"It's a large part of the city's economy that the Russians will need to generate through other means if they can't get it back operating due to its partial destruction."

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