President Putin sends a message to the Ukrainian authorities

A senior UN official said a convoy of buses arrived in Mariupol overnight, in the hope of evacuating the remaining 200 or so civilians from Azovstal, which is under blockade by Russian troops.

In a phone call on May 5 with Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett, Russian President Vladimir Putin affirmed that Russian soldiers will allow civilians to be safely evacuated from Azovstal.

“The Russian military is ready to create conditions for the safe evacuation of civilians. With the remaining soldiers in Azovstal, the Kiev authorities should order them to lay down their weapons,” – President Putin affirmed in the phone call. according to the Kremlin.

Russian President Vladimir Putin called on Ukrainian authorities to order the remaining soldiers at the Azovstal steel plant to lay down their weapons. Photo: Reuters

Earlier, on April 21, President Putin declared victory in Mariupol and ordered Russian forces to blockade Azovstal but not enter the tunnel system of this plant.

The Russian military pledged to suspend military operations in Azovstal on May 5 and the next two days to allow civilians to leave the place.

The Kremlin insists that the humanitarian corridor from Azovstal is still maintained, and denies Ukraine’s accusations that Russian troops have attempted to enter Azovstal in recent days.

Azovstal Steel Plant, Mariupol City – Ukraine, is being blockaded by Russian soldiers. Photo: Reuters

The statement was made not long after Captain Sviatoslav Palamar of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment accused Russia of violating its ceasefire commitment, Reuters said, while asserting that they have not been able to independently verify this allegation.

Mariupol is a key target in Russia’s efforts to cut Ukraine off from grain and metal export shipping lanes, as well as its efforts to connect Mariupol with the Crimean peninsula.