Dozens evacuated from Mariupol plant
KYIV: Roughly 100 civilians have been evacuated from the besieged Mariupol steel plant in eastern Ukraine and are heading out of Russian-controlled territory, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Sunday.
The announcement came ater the UN said a “safe passage operation” was ongoing at Azovstal, where Ukrainian forces say they and hundreds of civilians have been sheltering from Russian bombardment.
“Evacuation of civilians from Azovstal began,” Zelensky said on Twiter.
Zelensky said the group was expected to arrive in the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is under Ukrainian control, on Monday.
“Grateful to our team! Now they, together with UN, are working on the evacuation of other civilians from the plant,” he said.
The Russian defence ministry earlier said 46 civilians had let the plant on Saturday.
“All of the civilians were given accommodation, food and necessary medical help,” the ministry said.
A ministry video showed a convoy of cars and buses travelling in the dark, marked with a “Z,” the leter used by the Russian forces in the conflict.
The fate of Mariupol, a strategic port city linking Russian-held areas of southern and eastern Ukraine, has drawn worldwide condemnation.
Pope Francis on Sunday used his weekly Angelus prayer to renew his appeal for humanitarian corridors from the city, saying it had been “bombed and destroyed in a barbaric manner.”
Thousands have been killed and millions displaced by Russia’s invasion, which began on Feb.24. Western powers have rushed to send military aid to Ukraine and imposed heavy sanctions on Russia.
“Do not be bullied by bullies,” US Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi told reporters at a press conference in Rzeszow in southern Poland on Sunday ater returning from Ukraine.
Meanwhile, Hollywood actor and UN humanitarian Angelina Jolie made a surprise visit to the western Ukrainian city of Lviv on Saturday, the Lviv regional governor said on Telegram.
According to Maksym Kozytskyy, Jolie — who has been a UNHCR Special Envoy for Refugees since 2011 — had come to speak with displaced people who have found refuge in Lviv, including children undergoing treatment for injuries sustained in the missile strike on the Kramatorsk railway station in early April.