About 1,000 civilians are believed to still be living under the compound in appalling conditions. A UN spokesman said the “safe passage operation” began on April 29 and was coordinated with the Red Cross, Russia and Ukraine. The Azovstal steel plant is the last defensive fort in the southern city, with Ukrainian forces continuing to defend the site, which has a network of tunnels and warehouses. Occupied city changes to Russian ruble – Live updates of Ukraine Ukraine has not said how many troops are stationed there, but Russia has said about 2,000. Forty-six people in two groups fled the residential area around the factory on Saturday and were given food and shelter, Russian news agencies quoted the Defense Ministry as saying. The Ukrainian deputy commander at the steel plant put the number at 20. On Sunday, a convoy of UN and Russian military vehicles transported about 50 people to tent camps in the village of Bezimen, about 18 miles (30 kilometers) east of Mariupol, according to Reuters. President Putin had previously ordered his troops to blockade the area “so that not a single fly would pass through.” About 100,000 civilians are still in Mariupol and thousands of ordinary Ukrainians have been killed in relentless attacks that have devastated residential neighborhoods. UN envoy Saviano Ampreou said the organization could not provide further details on the “very complicated” evacuation if it puts people at risk. Picture: The situation on May 1 Key developments: • Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the US House of Representatives, meets with President Zelensky in Kyiv • The British ambassador feels “comfortable” after returning to the capital, despite Russian threats • Occupied Kherson region has killed and injured civilians • Vladimir Putin was forced to merge and redeploy exhausted units in Ukraine, say UK defense chiefs US says he died in Ukraine, what would be the first known death of an American in the war • Hollywood star Angelina Jolie visits refugees in Lviv Videos and images from inside the Mariupol steel plant were shared by two Ukrainians, who said their husbands were in Azov’s regiment and among the fighters who refused to surrender. Image: Two women show photos of their husbands saying they are fighting inside the steel plant Image: An unknown wounded man is said to be inside the Azovstal steel plant The video showed men with stained bandages, while others had open wounds or mutilated limbs. The women said some of the injuries were rotting due to gangrene and that very few medical staff treated at least 600 people. In the video, the men said they ate only once a day and distributed just 1.5 liters of water to four people. Image: About 1,000 civilians and 2,000 fighters are estimated to be in the steelworks Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:18 The open-air hospital of Mariupol is said to have been hit The women claimed the video was taken last week in the hallways under the factory. A man without a shirt appeared to be in pain as he described having two broken ribs, a pierced lung and a dislocated arm “hanging in the flesh”. He said: “I want to say to everyone who sees it: If you do not stop here in Ukraine, it will go further, in Europe.” Subscribe to Ukraine War Calendars on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify and Spreaker Ukrainian forces fought village after village on Saturday to contain a Russian advance in the east of the country. Moscow has turned its attention to the area known as Donbas, after failing to occupy the capital Kyiv. On Sunday, Kharkiv Governor Oleh Synehubov said heavy bombardment had occurred in areas of the northeastern city and warned people to stay in their shelters. The governor of Luhansk, Serhiy Gaidai, also urged people to stay as far away as they could, amid warnings that Russia was preparing to step up its eastern push. “Thousands more” Russian soldiers will be killed President Zelensky warned in his overnight speech on Saturday that Russia was “gathering additional forces” to launch new attacks. However, he claimed that Putin had lost “more than 23,000 troops” so far and that “thousands more will be killed and thousands injured” in the coming weeks. “Our defenders have already destroyed more than 1,000 Russian tanks, almost 200 Russian planes, almost 2,500 armored fighter jets,” he said. Image: US President Nancy Pelosi meets with President Zelensky in Kyiv “Of course, the invaders still have equipment in stock, yes, they still have missiles to hit our territory. “But this war has already weakened Russia so much that they have to plan even fewer (pieces of) military equipment to take part in a parade in Moscow.” Zelensky also spoke of rocket attacks in the Dnipropetrovsk region and Odessa, including the rocket attack, which he said destroyed a runway at the southern city’s central airport. Kyiv “the right place to be” – Ambassador of the United Kingdom The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Boris Johnson has promised to provide additional military assistance after speaking to Mr Zelensky on the telephone. The two leaders discussed continued UK support, and Mr Johnson said he was “more committed than ever to strengthening Ukraine and ensuring Putin’s failure”. A Downing Street spokesman said they also discussed Mariupol and the UN-led evacuation effort. Britain is one of the largest suppliers of weapons in Ukraine. It has already sent more than 5,000 anti-tank missiles, 1,360 anti-aircraft munitions, five air defense systems with more than 100 missiles and 4.5 tonnes of plastic explosives, according to the Ministry of Defense. Meanwhile, UK Ambassador Melinda Simmons said she was “comfortable” after returning to Kyiv despite Russian threats against diplomats. Mrs Simmons arrived late Friday after Britain said it would reopen its embassy in support. He told the Observer that he “feels like the right place” despite the danger – and that so far there were 27 ambassadors in the city. “I am here with an increased level of security protection and bearing in mind this potential risk, but at the moment I feel comfortable working under these conditions,” the ambassador said.
