In a long-awaited humanitarian mission, the United Nations is conducting a “safe transit operation” for civilians near the steel plant, which is the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in Mariupol. As many as 1,000 civilians are believed to have been trapped under the Azovstal plant with minimal supplies along with hundreds of fighters – some said to be suffering from injuries – after Vladimir Putin told Russian troops to blockade the area last week “to allow a fly”. do not pass “. The first groups of civilians, a total of about 50 people so far, including children, were photographed by a Reuters reporter arriving at the relative security of a temporary shelter in the nearby village of Bezemen in Donetsk on Sunday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to announce that he would meet with an initial group of 100 displaced people in the city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday.
Basic points
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Greens continue to push for UK withdrawal from NATO despite war in Ukraine, leader says
The Green Party will seek to remove the United Kingdom from NATO in the long run once the conflict in Ukraine is over, his co-leader said. Adrian Ramsey told Sky News that he did not want to “change structures in the midst of a conflict”, but believed that the United Kingdom should abandon the military alliance in the future. Asked by Sky News if the Greens’ position on NATO had changed as a result of the conflict in Ukraine, Mr Ramsay confirmed that it had not. He said: “We have a long-term policy to review the structures we need to have to build peace in the world and we must remember that this conflict happened at a time when we are part of NATO, when we still see nuclear weapons dominated. “Of course we are not going to change structures in the midst of conflict, and what we need to do right now is focus on how Ukraine can be supported in many ways.” Mr Ramsay suggested that the United Kingdom focus on “keeping the peace and bringing the parties to the table” as well as “stronger economic action”. (Copyright 2022 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.) Thomas Kingsley1 May 2022 16:25 1651417696
Zelensky says he will meet the first Azovstal deportees tomorrow
A first group of 100 Ukrainian civilians evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol will arrive in the Ukrainian-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia on Monday, Volodymyr Zelensky said. Andy Gregory 1 May 2022 16:08 1651416871
“Everyone here is polite and respectful”: Ukrainian family houses a Yemeni student
The village of Koshmanivka in the Poltava region is a short distance from the port city of Mukalla in Hadhramout in eastern Yemen, says Charlene Rodrigues. It is the village where Khalid Bin Jaah, a 29-year-old Yemeni engineering student, takes refuge with a Ukrainian family after escaping Russian bombing in central Kharkov – a city he loved and made his second home – after escaping the violence. Yemen war in 2015. Days before the Russian invasion, Mr. Bin Jaah met a Ukrainian woman, Halyna Kovalenko, at the immigration center in Sumy, and after learning about the immigration situation, they exchanged details. When the war broke out on February 24, she told him to visit her mother in the village of Koshmanivka if she needed to find a safe place. The following is a complete list of his time at Kovalenko’s family home: Andy Gregory 1 May 2022 15:54 1651414118
Another group “evacuated near the Mariupol steel plant”
A group of 14 other people arrived at a temporary shelter after leaving the area around the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine, Reuters reported, citing one of its photojournalists. Reuters photos earlier on Sunday showed about 40 people arriving at the center in the village of Bezemen in Donetsk. Civilians fleeing the area near Azovstal to a temporary shelter in Bezimenne (REUTERS / Alexander Ermochenko) Andy Gregory 1 May 2022 15:08 1651413638
A fire wounded in a Russian defense facility
One person was injured in a fire at a Defense Ministry facility in Russia’s southern Belgorod region, his governor said. Vyacheslav Gladkov said a resident of the area had suffered minor injuries and his life was not in danger. There were no immediate comments from the Russian Defense Ministry. Russia last month blamed Ukraine for a helicopter attack on a fuel depot in Belgorod, for which Kyiv denied responsibility, as well as for bombing villages and launching rockets into an ammunition depot. Other Russian regions that share the border with Ukraine have also reported cross-border bombings following Vladimir Putin’s invasion, amid allegations that Moscow could plan fake flag attacks. Andy Gregory1 May 2022 15:00 1651412832
UN conducts ‘safe passage operation’ for civilians at Mariupol steel plant
In a long-awaited humanitarian mission, the United Nations is conducting a “safe passage operation” for civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, a spokesman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs said. The operation began on Friday before reaching the steel plant on Saturday morning and is being coordinated with the International Committee of the Red Cross, Russia and Ukraine, the spokesman told Reuters. He said no further details could be released so as not to endanger the safety of the evacuees and the convoy. Last Thursday, Vladimir Putin told Russian troops to blockade the area “so that no fly could pass through.” Andy Gregory1 May 2022 14:47 1651411771
Fire at Russian Defense Ministry facilities, officials say
A Russian Defense Ministry facility in the southern Belgorod region of the country caught fire, officials said. There was no immediate word on injuries or damage, the governor said in a Telegram post. Pictures posted on social media showed a large funnel of smoke rising above the ground. Andy Gregory1 May 2022 14:29 1651411260
Angelina Jolie transported to safety as air raid siren sounds during visit to Lviv
Hollywood actress and UN special envoy Angelina Jolie was seen yesterday in the city of Lviv in western Ukraine. Governor Maksym Kozytsky said Jolie had come to speak to displaced people who had taken refuge in Lviv, including children being treated for injuries sustained in a rocket attack on Kramatorsk train station in early April. Here’s the moment he was taken to safety after an air raid siren during a visit to a shelter: Angelina Jolie runs to cover amid sirens in Lviv My colleague Ellie Harrison has more details here: Andy Gregory1 May 2022 14:21 1651409716
British hunger striker describes ‘surreal’ reunion with Ukrainian best friend
A hunger striker who secured a visa for her Ukrainian best friend spoke of her relief after their reunification in the United Kingdom. Kristina Korniiuk, 34, from Kyiv, received a visa under the Ukrainian Sponsorship Scheme and arrived at Rend Platings’ home in Cambridge on Sunday after a journey of more than 24 hours. The mother of one child, Ms Platings, whose house is painted in the colors of the Ukrainian flag, said it was both “wonderful” and “surreal” to have her friend by her side. Ms Platings, who went on a hunger strike for 21 days after applying for a visa for her friend, said their reunion was “amazing”. Rend Platings (right) and Samantha’s daughter hug Ukrainian best friend Kristina Korniiuk (Jacob King / PA Wires) 1651408696
Civilians arrive in makeshift camp after “two groups” allowed to leave Mariupol steelworks
Russia’s Defense Ministry said now that two groups of civilians had evacuated properties near the Mariupol steel plant yesterday, where up to 1,000 civilians were seeking shelter with limited supplies along with hundreds of Ukrainian fighters – some believed to be suffering injuries. According to the Tass news agency, the ministry said an initial group of 25 locals evacuated residential buildings near the Azovstal plant yesterday afternoon, followed by a second group of 21 people who left “at the onset of darkness” and were taken to Donetsk. . village Bezimenne. Separately, Reuters reports that – according to one of its photojournalists – a group of about 40 people arrived today at a temporary accommodation center in Bezimenne in buses with Ukrainian license plates, accompanied by Russian forces and vehicles with UN symbols. Civilians fleeing their homes near the Azovstal plant in Mariupol walk with UN staff to a temporary shelter in Bezimenne (REUTERS / Alexander Ermochenko) Andy Gregory 1 May 2022 13:38
