About 20 civilians left the trapped steel plant.
A group of about 20 civilians has fled the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, the last part of the southern city still in the hands of Ukrainian troops.
According to foreign media, they are the first group to leave since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the closure of the vast industrial zone last week.
Talks are ongoing on the release of 1,000 reported civilians still trapped inside. Russia, meanwhile, is said to be stepping up its offensive in the east.
More than a week ago, after saying Mariupol had been captured, President Putin told his troops: “Block this industrial area so that a fly does not pass.”
But Russian media reported that 25 civilians managed to leave the Azovstal plant on Saturday, including six children under the age of 14 – but did not say where the group had been sent.
This was confirmed by soldiers inside the steel plant, who said the number was 20 among them women and children.
The deputy commander of the Azov regiment, Sviatoslav Palamar, said they “transferred to a convenient location and we hope they will be evacuated to Zaporizhia, a territory controlled by Ukraine.” Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko told that people there were “on the brink of death and death”.
“People are waiting, they are praying for salvation… It’s hard to say how many days or hours we have to save their lives”.