The close-quarter battle inside the steel plant — the last Ukrainian stronghold of the strategic port city of Mariupol --appeared increasingly desperate.
The final battle for Mariupol is taking place inside the Azovstal steel plant, a massive coastal complex in the besieged city. Hundreds of civilians are still trapped inside, officials say.
That's how Paul Spiegel characterizes the reception — and medical services — offered by European nations. He spent 7 weeks on the scene for the World Health Organization to assess the situation.
"Like the apocalypse, like a horror film," is how one evacuee describes weeks of sheltering in the vast, Soviet-era steel plant. Her daughter says, "Each day felt like it would be our last one alive."
Ukrainian and international experts believe it will take years, if not decades, to build cases and prosecute people. Ukraine's prosecutor general's office has opened more than 9,000 investigations.