Ukraine hopes to evacuate Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant on April 29

Ukraine plans to evacuate the remaining civilians and fighters holed up in Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant on Friday, Reuters reported. 

President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office stated, “An operation is planned today to get civilians out of the plant”, without providing additional details. 

This comes after UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres met Zelensky on Thursday and later noted that intense discussions were underway to ensure safe passage for those in Mariupol after Russia claimed to have ‘liberated‘ the Azov Sea port city. Reports emerged that the Azovstal steel plant remained the last stand for Ukrainians there, and has withstood constant strikes from Russia, who are determined to capture all of Mariupol. 

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Russian President Vladimir Putin, earlier this week, agreed ‘in principle’ to the United Nations and International Committee for involving the Red Cross in aiding the Azovstal steel plant evacuation. 

As per the Mariupol city council, nearly 100,000 residents across the city remain in mortal danger of Russian shelling and are living in unsanitary conditions with food and water shortages. 

While Russia had earlier stated they had allowed evacuation corridors from the Azovstal plant to be set up, Ukraine didn’t trust Moscow and denied any such passageway. The mistrust stems from the fact that Russia has earlier attacked evacuation corridors, forcing Kyiv to abandon or postpone plans to get civilians out. 

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The second wave of the Russian onslaught on Ukraine has seen Putin’s army move in from the east, and with the fall of Mariupol, they can make a push from the south as well. The Russian president has vowed that his forces will achieve all the goals they intend to, in Ukraine, and warned the international community against interference. 

However, nations like the US and UK are determined to continue helping Ukraine, even sending complex weaponry. Liz Truss, the British foreign minister also urged other countries to ramp up production of tanks and planes to help Ukraine stop Russia’s aggression, which they believe will otherwise have far-flung global consequences.