A group of roughly 20 citizens has fled the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, the last section of the southern city still under Ukrainian control.

They are the first people to depart the massive industrial region since Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered its closure last week.

There are ongoing discussions regarding releasing the reported 1,000 individuals who are still imprisoned inside.

Meanwhile, Russia is thought to be ratcheting up its onslaught in the east.

President Putin urged his troops more than a week ago, after declaring Mariupol had been conquered, “Block off this industrial region so that a fly cannot come through.”

However, Russian media stated that 25 residents, including six children under the age of 14, managed to flee the Azovstal plant on Saturday, but did not specify where the group was transferred.

Soldiers inside the steelworks corroborated this, estimating a total of 20 women and children.

Sviatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov regiment, stated that they were “transferred to a suitable position and we hope that they will be evacuated to Zaporizhzhia, on Ukrainian territory.”

Taking Mariupol would boost Moscow’s efforts to grab Ukraine’s entire south coast, connecting pro-Russia separatist regions in eastern Ukraine such as Donetsk and Luhansk with Crimea, which Russia invaded in 2014. It would also improve access to the pro-Russian Transnistria region in Moldova, which is located across Ukraine’s western border.

Three large explosions were heard on Saturday in the southwest port city of Odesa, which officials said wrecked the airport’s runway, rendering it unusable.

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