At least 20 civilians including several children were able to leave a badly battered steel plant in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on Saturday in what could be the start of a long-awaited, larger evacuation of the last holdout in the Russian-held city. Ukrainian fighters of the Azov regiment, which has been defending the site, said 20 civilians had left, possibly for the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia, about 225 kilometres (140 miles) to the northwest.Russia’s Tass news agency carried a similar report, though putting the number of evacuees at 25.A United Nations-planned evacuation had been planned, though it was unclear whether Saturday’s evacuation was UN-led and whether further evacuations were imminent. There were no immediate details on the condition of the evacuees.
Read More: Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Russia moving more troops to front as offensive ‘falters’