A satellite image shows an overview of the Azovstal steel plant, the last Ukrainian military asylum, which also serves as a civilian asylum in Mariupol, Ukraine, on April 29. (Maxar Technologies / Reuters)
Some civilians have been evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol following a ceasefire, according to the commander of the Azov Regiment, one of the Ukrainian soldiers trapped at the plant.
Captain Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, said the ceasefire, which was due to begin at 6 a.m. local time, ended at 11 a.m. local time.
“So far this is true, and both sides are on a ceasefire,” he said.
The evacuation convoy was delayed a lot, he said. “We have been waiting since 6 am for the evacuation convoy to arrive, which did not arrive until 6:25 p.m.”
“We brought 20 civilians to the agreed meeting place, which we managed to save from under the rubble. These are women and children. “We hope these people will go to the agreed destination, which is Zaporizhia, the territory controlled by Ukraine,” Palamar said.
“Currently, the rescue operation is underway, which is being conducted by the Azov military – we are rescuing civilians from the rubble,” he added.
“These are women, children and the elderly,” he said in a video message on the regiment’s Telegram channel.
“We hope that this process will be further extended and we will successfully evacuate all civilians,” he said.
“As for the wounded – those people in need of emergency medical care – it is not clear to us why they are not being evacuated and their evacuation to Ukrainian-controlled territory is not being discussed,” he added. to ensure the evacuation not only of civilians but also of our wounded servicemen in need of medical assistance. “
TASS, Russia’s state news agency, said earlier on Saturday that a group of civilians had left the steel plant. A correspondent at the scene told TASS that a total of 25 people came out, including six children under the age of 14. CNN cannot independently verify the TASS report.
Hundreds of people are believed to be in the steel complex, including dozens injured during an intense Russian bombing in recent weeks. The latest satellite images of the plant show that many of its buildings have been turned into ruins.
Defenders of the Azovstal plant said Wednesday night’s attacks hit a makeshift hospital in the complex, significantly increasing the number of injured.
Here’s what part of the plant looked like about six weeks ago:
A satellite image from March 22 shows an overview of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine.
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