Ukraine Await Arrival Of Refugees From Azovstal Steel Plant In Mariupol

Smoke rises above the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works factory during the Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday (2/5/2022). (Antara/Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko)

JAKARTA - Ukraine hopes that a group of refugees from the ruins of a huge steel factory in the Russian-occupied city of Mariupol will reach the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday evening 3.

Mariupol mayor Vadym Boichenko said more than 200 civilians were still at the Azovstal Steel Plant where the last fighters defending the city were hiding.

About 100,000 civilians remained in the port city on the Sea of Azov, he said.

"The (refugee) group is moving towards Zaporizhzhia. The evacuation continues", Boichenko said on national television as reported by Antara.

"We are restricting information and hope that refugees from Azovstal will reach Ukraine."

The United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross began a coordinated operation with Ukraine and Russia on April 29 to remove women, children, and the elderly from the steel mill.

The sprawling industrial complex became a haven for civilians and Ukrainian fighters as Moscow laid siege to Mariupol, destroying the city in weeks of bombardment.