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The President of Ukraine confirmed the start of the evacuation of the first 100 civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. The Russians also released footage that they said was the first civilian buses to leave the Mariupol plant.
UN humanitarian spokesman Saviano Abreu told the Associated Press that the operation was being carried out in co-operation with the International Committee of the Red Cross and in co-ordination with Ukrainian and Russian officials.
About 100,000 people are believed to still be in Mariupol, while about 1,000 civilians and about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are inside the Soviet-era steel plant, the only part of the city not occupied by the Russians.
The success of the Mariupol mission depends on Russia and its forces at a series of checkpoints, before reaching the Ukrainians. The first group to be evacuated is expected to meet with Ukrainians in Zhaporizhia, Zelensky said.
Residents fleeing Russian-occupied areas say their vehicles have been shot at. Ukrainians have blamed Russian forces for the attacks in the evacuation corridors.
Mariupol, a port city in the Sea of Azov, has suffered the heaviest bombing and remains a key target due to its strategic location near the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia occupied in 2014.
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