All women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Ukraine says. Meanwhile, Russian missiles struck the port city of Odesa. Follow DW for the latest.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
- Stoltenberg urges West to continue supplying heavy weapons to Ukraine
- Zelenskyy speaks of Ukraine’s diplomatic options to save Azovstal’s defenders
- Biden announces new security aid for Ukraine
- Italy orders seizure of yacht linked by media to Russian president
This article was last updated at 20:05 UTC/GMT
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Zelenskyy: 300 civilians evacuated from Mariupol’s besieged steel plant
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said more that Saturday said more than 300 civilians were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol. The mill has been pounded by Russian forces for several weeks, with Ukrainian officials saying hundreds of civilians were inside. But earlier on Saturday, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister said that “all women, children and elderly” were evacuated from the steel plant. In his late night address, Zelenskyy said Ukrainian authorities would now focus on evacuating the wounded and medics, as well as working on humanitarian corridors for all residents of Mariupol.
Russia: Missiles hit airfields in 3 Ukrainian regions
The Russian Ministry of Defense said its missiles hit Ukrainian aircraft at airfields in the Artsyz, Odesa and Voznesensk regions. The ministry added that Iskander missiles had hit US and European equipment near Kharkiv. Earlier Saturday, Ukraine said four missiles had hit the Odesa region. Later Ukraine added missiles struck the city of Odesa where a furniture factory in a residential area was hit along with an already damaged airstrip.
WHO: 200 attacks on health facilities in Ukraine
Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, the director general of the World Health Organization (WHO), was in Kyiv along with WHO Emergencies Director Mike Ryan Saturday. Ryan said the WHO had documented 200 attacks on health facilities in Ukraine since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24. He added the WHO would pass its findings on to international organizations that could assess whether crimes had been committed. Speaking from the Ukrainian government’s media center in Kyiv, Tedros said, “My message to all the people of Ukraine in this,” is that, “WHO stands by you.”
CIA Director says Putin is doubling down on second phase of Ukraine offensive
CIA Director William Burns told The Financial Times’ Weekend Festival that Putin is convinced that doubling down will enable to make progress in Ukraine. Burns added that Putin has staked a lot on the second phase of “brutal” offensive in Ukraine. The CIA Director also noted that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has shown there are limits of Russia and China’s partnership. He noted that the war in Ukraine has affected Beijing’s calculations over Taiwan but it has not altered its determination over future actions. Additionally, Burns noted the war has motivated a possible move by Finland and Sweden to join NATO.
