The announcement came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol was under way. Zelensky said later Sunday that the vital civilian evacuation corridor had begun operating for the first time, adding that more than 100 civilians had been evacuated. Following the evacuation of these civilians, the steel plant came under fire again on Sunday night, according to a Ukrainian soldier in Mariupol who spoke to Ukrainian television. “The occupiers started firing again at Azovstal as soon as the evacuation of some Ukrainians was completed,” said Denis Schlega, commander of the 12th brigade of the Ukrainian National Guard. Schlega claimed that they used “all kinds of weapons”. It was unclear on Sunday afternoon whether the new bombing would jeopardize the next stage of evacuation from the steel plant. Hundreds of people – dozens of whom were injured – are believed to be inside the compound, the last Ukrainian shelter in the city after weeks of heavy Russian bombing. “The situation has become a sign of a real humanitarian catastrophe, because people have run out of water, food and medicine,” said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. Almost every building in the factory has been destroyed, new satellite images showed on Saturday. An estimated 100,000 people remain in the city, officials said. Earlier Sunday, Zelensky wrote on Twitter that the evacuation of civilians from the steel plant had begun. “The 1st group of about 100 people is already heading to the controlled area. Tomorrow we will meet them in Zaporizhzhia. Grateful to our group! Now, together with #UN, they are working to remove other civilians from the factory,” said the Ukrainian President. . The start of the evacuation was confirmed by the International Committee of the Red Cross, which said it would work with the United Nations on the operation. A motorcade started on Friday, traveling 230 kilometers to reach Mariupol on Saturday morning, DEES said in a statement. “The ICRC insists that details cannot be disclosed until the situation allows, as it could seriously endanger the safety of civilians and escorts. Competent local authorities are contacting citizens for practical details,” she added. statement. The Russian news agency TASS, citing the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, reported that 80 civilians were rescued from the “territory” of the Azovstal plant and evacuated to a Russian-controlled complex a few miles away. It is not clear if any of these came from the factory itself. “Civilians evacuated from the Azovstal plant by Russian troops who wanted to flee to areas controlled by the Kiev regime have been handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross,” the ministry said. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said in an interview with Italian television on Sunday that “the Kiev authorities are trying by all means to get the Ukrainian radicals out of the Azovstal, as there may be Western officers and mercenaries among them.” There is no solid evidence that Western nationals are among the fighters in Azovstal. Lavrov said: “The situation with the conflict at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and the stubborn, even hysterical desire of Zelensky, his team and his western patrons to withdraw all these people and send them to the territory of Ukraine. “It is explained by the fact that there are many characters who will confirm the presence of mercenaries and, perhaps, active officers of the Western armies on the side of the Ukrainian radicals.”
“We pray that everything works”
Earlier Sunday, Mariupol city council urged citizens to gather near a mall as there was a “possibility” of an evacuation corridor in Zaporizhia from the besieged city.
“If you have relatives or acquaintances in Mariupol, try to contact them by all means. Call, text and say that it is possible to go to Zaporozhye, where it is safe,” the council told the Telegram, instructing citizens to meet around from “Port City” mall at 4 p.m.
“We pray that everything works,” he added.
The evacuation began a day after two groups of civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal plant area, according to Russian state news agencies.
A total of 46 people had left “residential buildings next to Azovstal” and “had been provided with accommodation and food,” TASS and RIA Novosti reported, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.
Russian agencies did not disclose where the displaced were being transported.
Earlier Sunday, a Ukrainian commander inside the factory said some civilians had been evacuated from the factory on Saturday after a ceasefire was established.
Captain Svyatoslav Palamar, the deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, said the ceasefire, which was due to begin at 6 a.m., ended at 11 a.m.
Palamar said 20 women and children had been taken to the “agreed meeting point” in the hope that they would be evacuated to the “agreed destination” in Zaporizhzhia.
Correction: This story has been updated to accurately reflect when the evacuation of citizens in Mariupol will resume.
This story has been updated with additional information on Sunday.
