Russian forces were pausing their assault on Mariupol's Azovstal steel plant on Thursday morning "to open a humanitarian corridor" as part of a three-day daytime ceasefire pledge, Russia's Defense Ministry announced.
The big picture: The United Nations said more than 300 civilians were evacuated on Wednesday from the Mariupol area to the city of Zaporizhzhia, also in southeastern Ukraine, as Ukrainian officials and their forces defending the port city plant reported intense, bloody battles at the facility.
