According to the Azov regiment
20 civilians leave the steelworks in Mariupol
04/30/2022, 10:14 p.m
Hundreds of people, including dozens of children, are said to be still in the underground tunnels of the Azov steelworks. According to the Azov regiment, 20 civilians were able to leave the contested site. They are to be taken to Ukrainian-controlled territory.
According to Ukrainian sources, 20 civilians have left the fiercely contested Azov steelworks in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol to be taken to safety. The civilians, including women and children, were taken to an agreed location, “and we hope that they will be taken to Zaporizhia in Ukraine-controlled territory,” Azov regiment deputy commander Svyatoslav Palamar said in a statement Telegram published video.
The factory premises were shelled by Russian artillery throughout the night, said the deputy commander of the regiment defending the steelworks. A ceasefire that had been agreed for 6 a.m. only began five hours later, but has been observed since then. An evacuation convoy expected before 6 a.m. finally arrived more than twelve hours later.
The Azov regiment is searching the industrial site for more civilians and hopes they can all be taken to safety, Palamar said. Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers and civilians, including dozens of children, are said to be still inside the complex with extensive underground tunnel systems.
Last week, Russia declared that, with the exception of the steel works, it had gained complete control over the strategically important port city in south-eastern Ukraine. Kremlin boss Vladimir Putin ordered the siege of the Azov-Steel industrial complex. During a visit to Kyiv on Thursday, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said the UN was doing “everything” to facilitate the evacuation of civilians from the steelworks.