More than 300 civilians were evacuated Saturday from a steel mill in Mariupol, Ukraine, following an ongoing Russian assault at the plant ahead of Victory Day festivities in Moscow.
“All women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from Azovstal. This part of the Mariupol humanitarian operation has been completed,” Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchu announced via social media, per Reuters.
The evacuation arrives after weeks of Russian bombardment left Mariupol in ruins, with the Soviet-era steel mill largely destroyed. Earlier this week, the mayor of Mariupol estimated that 200 civilians were trapped at the plant.
As reported by Reuters, U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Saturday praised Ukraine and its people for embodying “the spirit of those who prevailed during the Second World War.”
Blinken also accused Russian President Vladimir Putin of attempting “to twist history to attempt to justify his unprovoked and brutal war against Ukraine.”
“As war again rages in Europe, we must increase our resolve to resist those who now seek to manipulate historical memory in order to advance their own ambitions,” Blinken said in a statement to the United Nations.
