Russia has reportedly resumed shelling of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol following the evacuation of dozens of civilians from the site, a Ukrainian official said.
The United Nations had conducted a “safe passage operation” for civilians in the steelworks, which was serving as the last-remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the city of Mariupol.
Up to 1,000 civilians are thought to have been stuck underneath the Azovstal plant with minimal supplies alongside hundreds of fighters – some said to be suffering with festering wounds – after Vladimir Putin told Russian troops to blockade the area last week “so that a fly can’t get through”.
One evacuee from the steelworks said that survivors still trapped inside were running out of food. “Children always wanted to eat. You know, adults can wait,” she said.
Ukraine’s president Volodymyr Zelensky appeared to indicate he would meet with an initial group of 100 evacuees in the town of Zaporizhzhia on Monday.
