Russian forces have reportedly stormed a Mariupol steel plant that was being used to house for hundreds of wounded and Ukrainian civilians seeking shelter, forces defending the metal works claim.
The Azovstal Iron and Steel Works was the last remaining stronghold under the control of Ukrainian troops in the southern port city.
The area has been under siege from Russian soldiers for weeks and remained even as the rest of the city was toppled by Putin's forces.
Videos taken in the underground warren underneath the plant showed a dire situation with several people injured, including some victims whose wounds were turning gangrenous.
Hundreds of innocent lives were said to be trapped beneath the metal works as Ukrainian forces tried to hold off the Russian invaders, the Mirror reports.
On top of that, there were growing fears of starvation as they began to run low on supplies.
Despite repeated efforts to secure safe evacuation routes for those trapped inside, they were largely unsuccessful.
However, in the last few days, the first civilians were able to be evacuated from the plant.
On Tuesday, the UN, in corodination with The International Committee of the Red Cross, confirmed 101 people were successfully evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant.
A U.N. humanitarian official said most of the evacuees were in Zaporizhzhia, where they are receiving humanitarian assistance.
"Thanks to the operation, 101 women, men, children, and older persons could finally leave the bunkers below the Azovstal steelworks and see the daylight after two months," Osnat Lubrani, U.N. humanitarian coordinator for Ukraine, said in a statement sent to journalists.
The International Committee of the Red Cross, which was also involved in the safe passage operation, released a parallel statement
Russia claimed it was 25 people, including children, but Ukraine disputed the number, saying it was only 20.
The steelworks became a flashpoint of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine, and in late April, during a televised meeting, Putin ordered it blockaded “so that not even a fly can escape.”
Talking to defence minster Sergei Shoigu, Putin said there was “no need to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities”.
He called for his forces to “block off this industrial area so that not even a fly can escape”.
He even then added it would be “impractical” to storm the huge industrial area - which is four square miles in size.
Footage filmed inside the steelworks revealed the reality of those trapped there.
Unidentified men were covered in stained bandages whilst others had open wounds or amputated limbs.
The videos were shared by two Ukrainian women who said their husbands were among the fighters holding fast there.
They said there was a skeleton medical staff who were treating at least 600 wounded people and said that some of the wounds were rotting with gangrene.
In the video the soldiers said they eat just once a day and share as little as a litre and a half of water among four people as supplies run low.
The video also revealed the warren of underground pathways beneath the facility where the Ukrainians are hiding.
National Guard commander Denys Shlega said several hundred civilians remain trapped alongside nearly 500 wounded soldiers and “numerous” dead bodies.
He added: “Several dozen small children are still in the bunkers underneath the plant.”
There are fears the troops may not be allowed to surrender and during a ceasefire, old women and mums with small children climbed over rubble at the plant before boarding buses to escape.
The civilians were driven to Ukrainian-controlled Zaporizhzhia, 140 miles north of Mariupol, and those who fled Russian-occupied areas say their vehicles were fired at.
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