Almost 500 more people evacuated from Mariupol — Head of President's Office Yermak

Almost 500 civilians were evacuated during the third stage of a complex operation to evacuate people from Mariupol and Azovstal plant on May 5, said the head of the President's Office Andriy Yermak.

According to him, the next stage of rescuing people from Azovstal is underway. He promises to announce its results later.

Earlier, the United Nations noted that the next, third stage of evacuation of civilians had begun from the territory of Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol. Another evacuation convoy went there, which is scheduled to arrive by the morning of May 6. People will be picked up near the Port City mall at 12 pm.

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of the Donetsk Regional State Administration, said that about 200 civilians remained on the territory of Azovstal.

Fighting at Azovstal

The deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, Captain Svyatoslav "Kalyna" Palamar, said on May 5 that Russian troops had broken into the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, which continues to be defended by Ukrainian fighters. Active battles are taking place for the third straight day.

Palamar stressed that the evacuation of civilians from the plant is not happening.

He later recorded a video appeal to President Volodymyr Zelensky and the world community asking them to evacuate civilians and take care of wounded soldiers.

Evacuation from the plant

On May 1, the long-awaited evacuation of civilians from the plant began. Also on May 2, people from other districts of Mariupol managed to leave the beleaguered city. On May 3, the first group of Ukrainian civilians arrived in Zaporizhzhia that had set off on May 1. On May 4, 344 more people were evacuated from Mariupol and nearby villages.

The whole of Mariupol has been blockaded for more than two months. According to preliminary estimates of local authorities, 20,000 people died as a result of Russia's actions in the strategic port city.