Kyiv said on Friday that arrangements were in place to evacuate inhabitants from the beleaguered Azovstal steel complex in the southern city of Mariupol, which is surrounded by Russian soldiers.

“An operation to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal factory is planned for today,”  according to a statement from the Ukrainian presidency.

Russia announced last week that it had achieved complete control of the key port city, with the exception of the massive Azovstal industrial sector.

According to Kyiv, President Vladimir Putin ordered a siege of the steelworks, where hundreds of people, including those in need of medical assistance, are hiding alongside Ukrainian military.

This Thursday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres stated that the UN was doing all necessary to enable the evacuation of residents from Mariupol’s “apocalypse.”

During her visit to Ukraine, a UN delegate stated she was going to Zaporizhzhia, the country’s capital, to prepare for a “hopeful” evacuation.

“The UN is fully mobilised to help save Ukrainian lives and to assist those in need,” said UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator in Ukraine Osnat Lubrani.

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