Evacuee Says Ukrainian Military Mentioned Mercenary General Staying at Azovstal Plant

BEZIMENNOYE, DPR (Sputnik) - The Ukrainian military mentioned a mercenary general staying at the Azovstal steel plant who was in touch with Volodymyr Zelensky, evacuated Azovstal employee Natalya Usmanova said on Sunday.

"The military came and said that they have a general sitting somewhere in the bunker. He was appointed. He is an Azov fighter. He is sort of a mercenary and he is in personal touch with Zelensky," Usmanova told reporters.

Forty people, including 18 men, 14 women and eight children, were evacuated from the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and adjacent areas on three buses. Another 46 people escaped from the territory on their own the day before.

All the evacuees were accommodated in a campground in the village of Bezimennoye, where they were provided with overnight shelter, food and medical assistance. The evacuation was monitored by representatives of the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross.

Evacuation of civilians from areas adjacent to Azovstal plant in Mariupol, 30 April 2022

© Sputnik / Aleksey Kudenko

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On 7 March, forces of the Donetsk People's Republic surrounded Mariupol and began a liberation campaign, with the remaining fighters of the nationalist Azov battalion now hiding in the underground tunnels of the Azovstal plant.

On 24 February, Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine after the breakaway republics of Donetsk and Luhansk appealed for help in defending themselves against Ukrainian forces. Russia said that the aim of its operation is "demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine."