Russian and Donetsk Republic forces began destroying the positions of Ukrainian army elements and extremist "Azov" battalions at the Azovstal factory in Mariupol, after breaching the ceasefire.
- The spokesman for the press office of the Russian Ministry of Defence, Vadim Astavev.
- said in a statement on Tuesday that the gunmen of the "Azov" battalion and Ukrainian forces had exploited a ceasefire regime in Azovstal to reach the firing positions.
- and had now begun to target them.
He added: "They came out of the basements and took firing positions in the area and in the factory buildings. Units of the Russian army and the Donetsk People's Republic have now begun to destroy these firing positions using artillery and aircraft. "
Zelensky confirms evacuation of about 100 civilians from the Azovestal plant in Mariupol
Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky said that the evacuation of civilians from the Azovestal plant had begun under United Nations supervision.
On Sunday, Zelenskiy wrote on his Twitter account that the first group of about 100 civilians had left the huge steel plant and was currently heading to the territory under the control of the Ukrainian government and was expected to arrive tomorrow in the city of Zaporoje.
- The Ukrainian team was currently working with international officials to evacuate the remaining civilians in "Azovstal".
- Earlier in the day, Russian media reported that a group of 40 civilians from Azovstal had been evacuated to the territory controlled by Russian forces and the Donetsk People's Republic.
- following the announcement by Moscow and Kyiv that a number of civilians had been evacuated from the plant yesterday.
- The United Nations confirmed today that an operation had been launched to provide a safe corridor for the evacuation of civilians from "Azovstal".
Since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Mariupol, the largest city overlooking the Azov Sea, has witnessed fierce battles during which the troops of Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic have managed to take control of the entire city, with the exception of Azovestal.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops not to break into the huge plant, which houses a complex network of underground facilities, and to continue to blockade it.
- The group of Ukrainian forces holed up inside the plant refuses to surrender, while the Government of Kyiv has announced the presence of civilians at the plant as well.
For its part, Russia unilaterally declared a humanitarian truce and suspended its military operations in the city in order to enable civilians in Azovstal to exit, but Kiev denied any agreement to open humanitarian corridors there.
These developments follow Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to Moscow and Kyiv this week, amid reports of the parties to the conflict agreeing to involve the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in organizing an operation to evacuate civilians from Azovestal.
Russia announces evacuation of 80 civilians from Azovstal plant in Mariupol
In a statement released on Sunday, the Russian Ministry of Defence stated: "Thanks to the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, 80 civilians, including women and children, were evacuated from the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, where they were detained by Ukrainian nationalists."
The Ministry confirmed that the units of the Russian army and the People's Police of the Donetsk Republic besieging the plant had established a humanitarian corridor in order to secure the evacuation of civilians and were working to ensure a "system of tranquillity".
The Ministry indicated that all the evacuated civilians had been transferred to the village of Bizimenwe, Donetsk People's Republic, where they had been provided with shelter, food and necessary medical assistance.
The Ministry confirmed that Russian forces had handed over to representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) evacuees' civilians wishing to travel to Kiev Government-controlled territory.
This statement follows the United Nations announcement that an operation to provide a safe corridor for the evacuation of civilians from Azovestal was launched in coordination with ICRC and the parties to the conflict.
Ukraine's President Vladimir Zelensky, in a comment on this evacuation, had earlier confirmed the evacuation of some 100 civilians from "Azovstal" to Kiev government-controlled territory, adding that they were expected to arrive tomorrow in the city of Zaporoje.
Since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Mariupol, the largest city overlooking the Azov Sea, has witnessed fierce battles during which the troops of Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic have managed to take control of the entire city, with the exception of Azovestal.
President Putin ordered Russian troops not to break into the huge plant, which houses a complex network of underground facilities, and to continue to blockade it.
The group of Ukrainian forces holed up inside the plant refuses to surrender, while the Government of Kyiv has announced the presence of civilians at the plant as well.
For its part, Russia unilaterally declared a humanitarian truce and suspended its military operations in the city in order to enable civilians in Azovstal to exit, but Kiev denied any agreement to open humanitarian corridors there.
These developments follow Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to Moscow and Kyiv this week, and the agreement of the parties to the conflict to involve the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in organizing an operation to evacuate civilians from Azovestal.
United Nations confirms operation to provide safe passage from Azovstal plant in Mariupol
The United Nations confirmed that a humanitarian operation was under way to evacuate civilians from the Azovestal steel plant, the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the city of Mariupol in the Donbass region.
The spokesman for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs in Geneva, Yans Larquet, said on Sunday, according to AFP: "The United Nations confirms that the provision of a safe passage from the Azovestal steel plant is under way in coordination with the International Committee of the Red Cross and the parties to the conflict."
The convoy for the evacuation of civilians was launched on Friday, travelling some 230 km, and arrived in Mariupol on Saturday morning.
This comes as Russian media confirmed the evacuation of a new group of 40 civilians from Azovestal today, following the announcement by the Russian and Ukrainian sides of the evacuation of a number of civilians from the plant yesterday.
Since the start of the Russian military operation in Ukraine, Mariupol, the largest city overlooking the Azov Sea, has witnessed fierce battles during which the troops of Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic have managed to take control of the entire city, with the exception of Azovestal.
- Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops not to break into the huge plant, which houses a complex network of underground facilities, and to continue to blockade it.
- The group of Ukrainian forces holed up inside the plant refuses to surrender, while the Government of Kyiv has announced the presence of civilians at the plant as well.
- For its part, Russia unilaterally declared a humanitarian truce and suspended its military operations in the city in order to enable civilians in Azovstal to exit
- but Kiev denied any agreement to open humanitarian corridors there.
These developments follow Secretary-General Antonio Guterres' visit to Moscow and Kyiv this week, amid reports of the parties to the conflict agreeing to involve the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross in organizing an operation to evacuate civilians from Azovestal.
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