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Russian Ministry of Defense Release Shows Movement of Civilians from Mariupol
Published 2 years ago
In an official release from the Russian Ministry of Defense, Ukrainian civilians who have been trapped at the Azovstal metallurgical plant are seen being evacuated by bus.
After eleven weeks of fighting, and several weeks under siege, civilians have finally been allowed to leave the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol where remnants of the Azov Battalion are still resisting against an overwhelming Russian ground presence. This video, which was released by the Russian Ministry of Defense, shows the movement of Ukrainian civilians out of the besieged area by bus.
Over the past week, Ukrainian and Russian forces have been operating under a white flag system to allow for the evacuation of civilians. Ukrainian forces have described the situation as tense, but functioning. While they refuse to surrender, this system has allowed for some 600 civilians to be evacuated from Mariupol. Even with the on-going evacuations, the Russians have not slowed up on their artillery operations against the plant.
"The president's order has been carried out: All women, children and the elderly have been evacuated from Azovstal (steelworks)," Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Saturday, without elaborating. "This part of the Mariupol humanitarian operation has been completed."
This footage, along with a Russian news agency called Tass, has confirmed that since Friday over 100 civilians have been evacuated from the besieged plant, which has drawn the attention of the entire world, with the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross desperately trying to organize departures for affected civilians.
By Russia's current estimate, at least 2,000 Ukrainian fighters remain located inside of the plant. The Ukrainian government is attempting to find a way to get those Soldiers safe passage as well, however the Ukrainians there are refusing to surrender.
