Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said 156 people who fled the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol had arrived in Zaporizhzhia on Tuesday.
In his nightly address the president said after two months of being trapped underground, taking shelter from bombs and shelling, they were ‘completely safe’.
“We finally have the result, the first result of our evacuation operation from Azovstal in Mariupol, which we have been organizing for a very long time. It took a lot of effort, long negotiations and various mediations,” said Zelensky.
“Today 156 people arrived in Zaporizhzhia. Women and children. They have been in shelters for more than two months.
“Finally, these people are completely safe. They will get help.”
Mr Zelensky’s annoucement followed a fresh round of attacks by Russian forces on the steel plant. It was one of a series of assaults on Tuesday across Ukraine, where authorities said 21 civilians were killed in the eastern Donetsk region.
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