Topline
Dozens of women and children have been evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plan in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol—that Russia now claims is under its control—a move that comes amidst a United Nations effort to broker a cease-fire to allow safe passage of civilians from the area that remains the last bastion of Ukrainian resistance in the city.
A view of the destruction in the city of Mariupol.
Key Facts
In a video posted on Telegram, a deputy commander Svyatoslav Palamar of the Ukrainian paramilitary group Azov regiment said that an evacuation convoy on Saturday was able to pick up around 20 women and children from the plant.
Evacuation efforts from the besieged industrial complex will continue as long as the Russians don’t “start shooting again” Palamar told the New York Times.
The evacuation effort appears to have continued on Sunday, as the Russian defense ministry announced that a total of 46 civilians have been evacuated from the plant in two groups.
It is unclear how many civilians still remain in the complex but Ukrainian officials previously stated that nearly 1,000 civilians and fighters were trapped in the plant as Russian forces have moved in to take control of the rest of the city.
The Ukrainian government and multiple international entities—including the Vatican—have urged Russia to allow all trapped Ukrainians to leave the plant, something that Moscow has allegedly rebuffed.
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/05/01/several-women-and-children-evacuated-from-besieged-mariupol-steel-plant-ukrainian-and-russian-officials-say/