Hundreds of people evacuated from Azovstal steel plant in Ukraine

President Volodymyr Zelensky confirmed in a Twitter post on May 1 that about 100 people had left the vast Azovstal steel plant in the Black Sea port city of Mariupol and were heading to territory controlled by Ukrainian forces.

A spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Saviano Abreu told the AP news agency that the evacuation of people from the Azovstal steel plant is being done with the International Committee of the Red Cross and with the support of the United Nations. coordination of Russian-Ukrainian officials.

Up to 100,000 people are believed to still be in the Russian blockaded city of Mariupol, including up to 1,000 civilians and around 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers hiding beneath a Soviet-era steel mill – the only part of the city that is not occupied by Russia.

Zelensky noted that Ukrainian officials are still working with the United Nations to evacuate civilians from the area, adding that the evacuees will be brought to the Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye on May 2.

Ukraine’s top negotiator at talks with Russia, David Arakhamia, called the evacuation “the most difficult operation” since the beginning of the conflict. He also said that “more than 100 Ukrainians, including children, women and the elderly, are finally safe.” However, the politician added, “a lot of people” remained at home. steel machine and need to evacuate.

Before that, on May 1, the Ministry of National Defense Russia About 80 civilians have already left the factory, according to reports. Russian forces and militias of the Donbass republics opened humanitarian corridors to civilians and maintained a ceasefire in the region.

According to Russian media, all those evacuated were transported to the village of Bezymennoe, controlled by the Donbass militia, and provided with shelter, food and medical assistance. The media added that civilians who wanted to travel further to Ukrainian-controlled areas were assigned to representatives of the United Nations and the Red Cross.

The Russian Defense Ministry also announced that 46 civilians had been evacuated from residential buildings near the Azovstal plant. A video released by the military on May 1 shows people leaving in vehicles with a “Z” sign. Ambulances can also be seen.

“On April 30, due to the establishment of a ceasefire and the opening of a humanitarian corridor, two groups of civilians left residential buildings adjacent to the territory of the Azovstal steel plant,” – RT quoted the Defense Ministry as saying. Russia said in a statement. 25 local residents left the site during the day and 21 left later.

All civilians have been provided with necessary accommodation, food and medical assistance, the ministry said.

The Azovstal Steel Plant is still home to hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers, including fighters from the Azov Battalion. Built during the Soviet era, the Azovstal steel factory has a huge network of underground tunnels and bunkers, which have been turned into fortresses by Ukrainian troops.

Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier halted the attack on the plant and instead called on those entrenched inside the campus to surrender. Mr Putin pledged to guarantee the life of anyone who surrenders weapons and “to be treated with dignity according to all international standards”.

Ukrainian forces and Azov fighters demanded permission to leave with the assistance of a “third party” while keeping personal weapons. On April 29, one of the Ukrainian commanders at the plant called on Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to organize an “evacuation operation” for him and his men, saying that there were civilians as well as hundreds. Wounded soldiers are hiding at the factory.

In the past, Russia has sought to create a humanitarian corridor for those detained at the facility, but those efforts have failed. Kiev and Moscow accused each other of disrupting the evacuation of civilians believed to be trapped with Ukrainian soldiers.

On April 21, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told President Vladimir Putin that, Mariupol completely under Russian control except for the Azovstal plant.