On Wednesday, almost 300 Ukrainians were evacuated from Mariupol, while President Volodymyr Zelensky requested UN assistance in rescuing the remaining wounded trapped beneath the massive Azovstal steel complex.
In his traditional evening speech to the country, Zelensky claimed 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and surrounding areas and went northwest to the Kyiv-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia.
However, earlier in the day, he asked with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to assist in the rescue of the wounded who remain at the plant.
“The lives of the people who remain there are in danger,”
Zelensky told Guterres by phone.
RED CROSS CALL FOR HELP
The Red Cross stated in a statement that it was “relieved that additional lives have been saved” and that “in light of the enormous suffering of the residents,” it asked for further efforts to complete evacuations from the region.
Meanwhile, in the Azovstal facility, where Ukrainian soldiers had been holed up for weeks, ferocious combat with Russian troops raged.
Moscow, which has denied any storming of the plant, has announced that its forces will cease fire at the plant for three days starting Thursday to allow civilians access.
“The Russian armed forces will from 8 am to 6 pm (0500 GMT to 1500 GMT) on 5, 6 and 7 May open a humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant to evacuate civilians,”
the defence ministry said Wednesday.
EFFECTIVE INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS
Civilians sheltering at the plant will be allowed to travel to Russia or Kyiv-controlled territory, the statement added.
“this week’s evacuations showed the world that international organisations can be effective”.
In his conversation with Guterres, Zelensky said that
He “expressed hope for a successful continuation of the ongoing evacuation operation”.