Ukraine’s presidential chief of staff, Andrei Yermak, did not give any details and it was not clear what stage the new rescue effort had reached.
United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told the Security Council on Thursday that a third operation was underway to evacuate civilians from Mariupol and the Azovstal plant.
“The next stage of rescuing our compatriots from Azovstal is currently underway. Information on the results will be provided at a later time,” Yermak said.
Meanwhile, the director of the Ukrainian presidential office announced, on Friday, that about 500 civilians have been evacuated from the destroyed city of Mariupol and the besieged Azovstal factory since the start of a United Nations operation, AFP reported.
“We managed to evacuate about 500 civilians,” Andrei Yermak said on Telegram.
He added that Kyiv “will do everything in its power to rescue civilians and military personnel” stranded in the stricken city, adding that evacuations would continue.
On the other hand, the British military believes that Russia wants to seize the huge steel plant, which dates back to the Soviet era, before the celebration of Victory Day next Monday.
The British Ministry of Defense made the comment in a daily intelligence briefing issued on Twitter, according to the Associated Press.
The Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol was the scene of weeks of fighting.
The British military said: “Russia’s renewed efforts to secure Azovstal and complete the capture of Mariupol are likely linked to the anniversary of Victory Day on May 9 and Russian President Vladimir Putin’s desire for a symbolic success in Ukraine.”
“This effort has come at a cost in personnel, equipment, and munitions to Russia. As the Ukrainian resistance continues in Azovstal, Russian losses will continue to accumulate and frustrate their plans of operations in southern Donbass,” he added.
Victory Day marks the victory of the Soviet Union over Nazi Germany in World War II.
Despite talking about the attack on Azovstal, the Russian presidency, “the Kremlin”, denies this.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov confirmed to reporters Thursday that Russian forces are still besieging “Azovstal”, denying the validity of the Ukrainian side’s announcement that Russian forces had infiltrated the huge factory complex.
Peskov accused the “Ukrainian side, especially those who are holed up in this factory”, of “continuous lies and false allegations.”
He recalled that the Russian President had previously ordered his country’s forces not to storm the factory, adding: “No other orders have been announced by the Commander in Chief.”
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