Kyiv, MAY 6 (ANSA) – At least 50 Ukrainian civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol on Friday, while Kyiv authorities said a total of 51 people, including some children, were evacuated, according to Russian media.
According to Tass news agency, humanitarian corridors will be closed until tomorrow morning, the last day of the ceasefire announced by Moscow.
Earlier, the militia of the far-right Azov Battalion said that during the ceasefire on the territory of the steel mill, Russian troops opened fire on a vehicle carrying civilians to remove them from the factory. One soldier was killed and six injured, Ukrainska Pravda reported, according to a statement posted on Telegram.
“The enemy continues to violate all agreements and security guarantees for the evacuation of civilians,” said Azov’s battalion.
Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced that Russians “believe that they can go unpunished” for war crimes “because they have the power of a nuclear state”.
In a video speech from Kiev, he described the attack by Moscow forces on Azovstal as “not a “military action” but “torture” because it “attempts” to starve the “besieged”. He said the Russians were fueled by decades of “hate” and “anti-Ukrainian propaganda”.
Yesterday, the UN sent a new convoy to rescue civilians at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, the last stronghold of the Ukrainian resistance. But Ukraine accuses Russia of failing to comply with the unilateral ceasefire it promised to facilitate the evacuation of civilians from the port city, which is seen as the main target of Moscow’s offensive to unite areas under its control in eastern and southern Ukraine.
source: Noticias
