Infobae in Ukraine: the evacuation of civilians from the steel plant in Mariupol has begun

(special delivery) After nearly two months of total lockdown, The evacuation of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol began, Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment, revealed, local and international sources confirmed by Infobay.

Palamar revealed in a video that A group of 20 women and children have already left, hoping to take them to ZaporizhiaAnd The city is about 450 km to the northeast. The Ukrainian military said all civilians are expected to be evacuated from the Azovstal plant, where 1,000 people are believed to be trapped in its tunnels.

Despite the optimism of the deputy commander of the Azov regiment, The future is uncertain and depends on the political decisions of the Kremlin. Moments ago, a convoy carrying nearly two dozen refugees left Mariupol. They are women and boys who managed to get through all the control of the Russian forces in the place.

The possibility of evacuation – even the minimal number of civilians trapped in this line of fire – is the result of complex negotiations led by Antonio Guterres, the Secretary-General of the United Nations. Guterres held a meeting with Vladimir Putin in Moscow and then flew to Kyiv to strike a risky deal with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.

This forced agreement, conditioned on mutual distrust between Putin and Zelensky, was supposed to begin at six in the morning (Ukrainian time). But everything went on, and the first convoy from Mariupol to Zaporizhia left the combat zone at 7:40 pm (Ukrainian time).

Women and children fleeing the conflict zone were rescued from the rubble, And transfer it to a neutral area and then load it on the means of transport that will reach this city. While the information was confirmed from Mariupol, in Zaporizhia –Where is the Infobae report? Sirens began to announce a possible air attack by Russian commandos.

A refugee center has already been deployed in this city to help the civilians who will start arriving from Mariupol. Medical aid, food, clothing and adequate places to sleep are expected, after weeks of suffering at the mercy of crossfire and the neglect of the Kremlin regarding enabling a humanitarian corridor for civilians.

Yes, Putin fulfills his diplomatic obligationsAnd A convoy of about 30 buses with more than 600 civilians on board – women, children and the elderly – should arrive in Zaporizhia, on Sunday, They are still locked up in the steel mill defending the Ukrainian forces against the onslaught of Russian battalions.

When the operation to rescue civilians in Mariupol ends, Officials from the United Nations Human Rights Council are expected to travel to the city to take testimonies from siege survivors who lived for weeks.

This information, along with photographic evidence and classified documents, will be essential to advancing the investigation of crimes against humanity that Russian forces would have committed on the battlefront.

The ad hoc committee that undertakes this task at the request of the majority of the states of the UN Human Rights Council, must submit its report within a year. The testimonies of the Mariupol survivors will be an indispensable part of establishing Putin’s criminal responsibility.

developing…

Read on: