British military intelligence said, in a tweet on Twitter, today, Friday, that Russian forces in the coastal city of Mariupol continued their ground attack on the Azovstal steel plant for a second day.
Moscow denied reports that Russian forces stormed or attacked the Azovstal factory, which is the last stronghold of Kyiv government forces in the city of Mariupol in the Donbass region.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters Thursday that Russian forces are still besieging Azovstal, denying the validity of the Ukrainian side's announcement that Russian forces had infiltrated the huge factory complex, which dates back to the Soviet era.
Peskov accused the "Ukrainian side, especially those who are holed up in this factory", of lying and making false allegations constantly, and stated that Russian President Vladimir Putin had previously ordered his country's forces not to storm the factory, adding: "No other orders were announced by the Commander in Chief."
Zelensky had also said Thursday that the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol continued on Thursday, but he did not provide details on how many people were able to leave.
Zelensky added in a video speech that Russian forces continue to storm and bombard the Azovstal factory in the city, where civilians and fighters are holed up.He also said that the Russian military operations in his country destroyed hundreds of hospitals and other institutions, leaving doctors without drugs to treat cancer or the ability to perform surgeries.
In a video address to a medical charity, Zelensky added that many places lack even basic antibiotics in eastern and southern Ukraine, which are the focal points of the fighting.
"If you only look at the medical infrastructure, to date Russian forces have destroyed or damaged nearly 400 healthcare institutions: hospitals and outpatient clinics," he added, according to Reuters.
He pointed out that the situation is catastrophic in the areas occupied by Russian forces."This amounts to a complete absence of drugs for cancer patients. This means severe difficulties or complete absence of insulin for diabetes. It is impossible to perform surgery. It simply means no antibiotics," he said.
The Kremlin says it only targets military or strategic sites.