On Sunday, several hundred civilians were evacuated from bunkers in Azovstal in a humanitarian effort facilitated by the United Nations and the International Red Cross. It came after Moscow’s agreement to a ceasefire.
Russian forces say they have the entire port city of Mariupol under their control except for the Azovstal plant, where Ukrainian troops have been besieged for over a month.
The Soviet-era plant has an extensive network of fortified bunkers and tunnels which were designed to withstand potential Western strikes during the Cold War.
On April 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin called off an operation to storm the steelworks, fearing heavy casualties among Russian troops, ordering instead to impose a complete blockade of the Ukrainian forces holed up there.
Credit: RT News