Ukraine plans to evacuate people hiding in steel plant in Mariupol

Thousands of civilians and Ukrainian defense forces are believed to be hiding in a network of tunnels and bunkers beneath the vast Azovstal steel plant in the port city. Mariupol.

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office told Reuters news agency that Kiev planned to remove civilians from the factory on April 29.

On April 28, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had a meeting with President Volodymyr Zelensky during his visit to Ukraine. After the meeting, Mr. Guterres said, negotiations are underway to plan the evacuation Avostal steel plant.

“Mariupol is a crisis within a crisis. Thousands of civilians need life-saving assistance. Many are elderly, need medical care, or have limited mobility. They need a way out of the apocalypse,” Guterres told reporters.

The Azovstal Steel Plant is one of the largest metalworking plants in Europe with an area of ​​10 square kilometers and an extensive network of tunnels and fortified bunkers.

Russia claimed victory in the strategic port city of Mariupol on April 21 after nearly two months of siege but was denied by Ukraine.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that the evacuation of the Azovstal factory was not out of the question. Peskov made this comment in response to President Zelensky’s statement that Kiev is ready for immediate negotiations on the evacuation of people from Azovstal.

“President Putin has made it clear: Civilians can leave the factory and go wherever they want. The fighters must lay down their weapons and also have to leave. Their lives will be preserved.

All the injured and sick will receive medical assistance. What is there to negotiate in this case?” – TASS quoted Mr.

Earlier, on April 26, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres had a meeting with President Putin in Moscow.

During the meeting, President Putin announced that all civilians, if they were really present in Azovstal, were free to leave and that Ukrainian forces had to let them go.

The President noted that Russia’s humanitarian corridors from Mariupol are open, about 130,000-140,000 people have used them and are free to go wherever they want – to Russia or Ukraine.

According to Putin, if civilians were really present in Azovstal, it would be a crime to keep them as human shields.

Putin also stated that the Ukrainian servicemen who laid down their weapons were detained in appropriate conditions and provided with medical assistance if needed.

President Putin affirmed that Russia is ready to create conditions for the United Nations and the International Red Cross to access these prisoners of war.