A third United Nations operation was under way this morning to evacuate Ukrainian civilians from Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol”.
An estimated 200 civilians, along with Ukrainian resistance fighters, remain trapped in underground refuges at the huge industrial complex. The UN humanitarian chief, Martin Griffiths, said a convoy was headed to Azovstal.
The Ukrainian deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said people would be evacuated from Mariupol at midday local time on Friday. The UN and the Red Cross said they had so far helped nearly 500 civilians flee the steelworks area in the southern port city during two operations in the past week.
Meanwhile, US officials have reportedly confirmed they are providing intelligence that has helped Ukrainian forces target and kill many of the Russian generals who have died in Ukraine.