- The Russian Ministry of Defence reported that in total 126 civilians have been evacuated from the industrial facilities of Azovstal in the city of Mariupol.
25 people from nearby houses and another 21 people from the plant’s territory left the Azovstal area on the first day, April 30.
All 46 people evacuated on the first day voluntarily decided to remain in the Donetsk People’s Republic.
On the second day of the operation, on May 1, 80 more civilians who were held hostage by Ukrainian nationalists were rescued from the plant’s territory.
Eleven citizens voluntarily decided to remain in the Donetsk People’s Republic. Sixty-nine civilians decided to leave for the territory controlled by the Kiev regime.
- They were handed over to representatives of the UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross, and they are currently travelling in a column towards the city of Zaporizhia.
- The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation ensure the safety of the humanitarian convoy with the civilians evacuated from the territory of Azovstal plant to the territory under the control of the Kiev regime.
- All the civilians were first transferred to the village of Bezymennoe. They were provided with lodging, food and the necessary medical care.
In turn, the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR published footage of the military operation of the detached battalion tactical unit on the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol:
Source: SOUTHFRONT
Notes:
The United Nations was involved in the negotiations to evacuate the remaining civilians, but there were no further reports on Monday of new evacuations. Reportedly, there are about 500 civilians still there and 600 or more soldiers. Civilians, many of them steel mill workers and their families, reportedly took refuge there at the start of the invasion only to find themselves caught at the center of fighting.
Ukrainian Foreign Ministry Dmytro Kuleba on Monday called the situation over Azovstal “very fragile,” according to Ukrinform, a Ukrainian state news agency.
“This evacuation concerns only civilians. We still have Ukrainian defenders, including the wounded, badly wounded Ukrainian soldiers, and their lives should not be left to the discretion of the Russian army, which continues to bomb their positions,” Kuleba said.
Ukrainian soldiers have been holding out inside the Azovstal bunkers for weeks. The rest of Mariupol has been seized by Russian and pro-Russian separatist forces. The port city is being handed over to pro-Russian officials.