Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Ukraine had begun preparations for a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians hiding at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
She reported about it on Telegram.
"President Zelensky met today with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. There is hope that we will be able to evacuate civilians from Azovstal. The president and the team are working hard. This is one of the top priorities. We are starting to plan a humanitarian operation", she said.
- Currently, Ukrainian Marines, Azov Regiment fighters, and about a thousand civilians remain blocked at Azovstal. On April 20, defenders of Mariupol said they were ready to evacuate the city with the support of a third party. On the same day, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that Ukraine was ready to exchange captured Russian servicemen for people from Mariupol.
- On April 21, Putin ordered Russian troops not to storm the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, but troops continued to attack. There are still no agreements on evacuation and humanitarian corridors.