Zelensky hopes for further Mariupol evacuations
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky welcomes the successful evacuation of civilians from the hard-fought Azovstal factory in the port city of Mariupol. “I hope that all necessary conditions are met on Monday to continue to evacuate people from Mariupol,” he said in his daily video message on Sunday evening.
“We will continue to do everything we can to evacuate our people from Azovstal and Mariupol as a whole,” Zelensky said.
A few dozen civilians left the Azovstal steel factory, which is under siege by Russian soldiers, via a bus convoy this weekend. The United Nations and the Red Cross were also involved. According to Zelensky, about a hundred people were able to leave the factory.
According to Ukrainian sources, about 1,000 civilians are believed to be trapped in the bunkers of the steel mill alone. Russia speaks of about 2,500 people, mostly military and foreign mercenaries.