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Residents of Mariupol, in the background the Azovstal area: time is running out
Photo: Victor / dpa
The last phase of a large-scale evacuation operation has started in the southern Ukrainian port of Mariupol.
Together with international aid organizations, the last civilians locked in catastrophic conditions on the site of the Azovstal steelworks besieged by the Russian army should be rescued on Saturday.
Russia had promised a temporary ceasefire for the evacuation - but apparently continued to attack with great severity in other parts of southern Ukraine.
According to the Reuters news agency, the Ukrainian military command on Saturday evening reported that Russian forces continued to attack the Azovstal facility with tanks and artillery.
The information has not yet been verified.
According to pro-Russian separatists, another 50 civilians have now been taken away from the steelworks in Mariupol.
"Today, May 7, 50 people were evacuated from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical combine in Mariupol," the staff of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic said on Saturday on its Telegram channel.
There is no independent evidence for this statement either.
According to Ukrainian and Russian sources, 50 people were also rescued the day before.
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However, it is estimated that dozens of civilians are still trapped in the factory's bunkers - and time is running out.
Observers assume that Moscow soon wants to have captured the steel plant, in which the last remaining Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol are holed up.
So next Monday, May 9, the anniversary of the Soviet victory over Hitler's Germany, the Kremlin could officially celebrate the capture of the entire city.
In Ukraine, there are also fears that Russian President Vladimir Putin could also order a general expansion of hostilities in Ukraine during his speech in Moscow on Monday.
Russian rocket attacks were reported on Saturday in several Ukrainian cities in the south of the country, including Odessa, but there were also reports of strikes in the northeastern city of Sumy near the border with Russia.
Meanwhile, the government in Kyiv is preparing for a solidarity visit by Bundestag President Bärbel Bas (SPD) on Sunday.
Chancellor Olaf Scholz has also been invited to the Ukrainian capital – but it is still unclear whether and when he wants to come.
First, Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock (The Greens) is to travel to Ukraine.
bor/dpa