Rescue from Mariupol is successful: all women, children and the elderly from Azowstal are rescued

Rescue from Mariupol succeeds
All women, children and elderly rescued from Azovstal

A small ray of hope: According to Ukrainian information, all women, children and elderly people from the steelworks in Mariupol can be rescued. The last 50 will be picked up by buses. It is unclear what will happen to the remaining fighters. President Zelenskyj is working on a diplomatic solution.

According to official information, the last women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steelworks in the Ukrainian port of Mariupol. “This part of the humanitarian operation in Mariupol has been completed,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk wrote in the Telegram news service. She initially left open whether there were any civilians among the remaining men.

With the departure of 50 more people, the number of civilians picked up from the factory site totaled 176, according to the military headquarters of the pro-Russian separatist government in the regional capital Donetsk. A few days ago, the city administration put the number of civilians trapped in the extensive area with numerous buildings and underground facilities at 200.

The last remaining Ukrainian fighters who are opposing the Russian troops are also holed up on the factory premises. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Friday evening that his country was working on a diplomatic solution to save the Ukrainian soldiers who were holding out in the steelworks. However, according to the Ukrainian military, Russian artillery and armored units continued their attacks on the factory premises on Saturday. In other parts of Mariupol, where more than 400,000 people lived before the war, more people are said to be holding out.

Russian troops could storm the factory

The latest evacuation mission came about with the help of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross. Since Thursday, Russia’s military had assured fire breaks of several hours every day in the completely destroyed city on the Azov Sea. The last one was supposed to end on Saturday night.

Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 21 declared his army’s victory over Mariupol and declared a cordon off on the Azovstal compound held by Ukrainian militants. The defenders had refused to surrender. In Ukraine, there are fears that Russian forces may launch a devastating strike against them by Monday, marking a military victory just in time for the anniversary of the victory over Nazi Germany in World War II.

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