The Russia announced its intention to cease hostilities this Monday, April 25, 2022 to allow the evacuation of civilians holed up with Ukrainian fighters in the besieged Azovstal metallurgical complex in Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine.
Russian forces and their pro-Russian Ukrainian proxies undertake to “unilaterally cease hostilities at 2 p.m. from Moscow, withdraw units to a safe distance and ensure departure” civilians “in the direction of their choice”, the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Women, children and factory personnel allowed outside
The ministry specifies that the categories of people authorized to go out are women, children and factory staff. “If civilians are still in the metallurgical plant, then we expressly demand that the Kyiv authorities give the commanders of the (Ukrainian) nationalist formations the order to release them,” added the Russian ministry. The immense Azovstal factory is the last reduced controlled by the forces of kyiv in Mariupol, a large port city ravaged by the bombardments after several weeks of siege.
While the buildings of the metallurgical complex are largely destroyed on the surface, a vast network of underground galleries has so far enabled Ukrainian fighters to deprive Russian forces of total control.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky claimed that about a thousand civilians and hundreds of wounded were still entrenched there, in catastrophic conditions, lacking water and food.
Russia has repeatedly demanded the surrender of Azovstal fighters, whom Moscow presents as extremists and foreign mercenaries. Ukraine has warned that it will break off negotiations with Russia if its last fighters in Azovstal are killed.
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