Over a hundred and fifty civilians were evacuated from Mariupol, Ukraine, after being stranded in the Azovstal industrial complex area of the city, surrounded by Russian invading forces. They had stayed underground for safety in the complex, in the tunnel systems where an unknown number of Ukrainian soldiers are under siege. The evacuation happened during five-day safe passage operation coordinated by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), Russia and Ukraine, and the United Nations. The civilians, 156 of them according to Ukrainian Deputy PM Iryna Vereshchuk, evacuated have been reportedly transported by bus, ambulance, and car to Zaporzhzhia, Ukraine. Other people from the Azovstal plant went elsewhere; the ICRC reportedly did not organize nor accompany these civilian movements. “It is an immense relief that some civilians who have suffered for weeks are now out,” said ICRC President Peter Maurer. “The ICRC hasn’t forgotten the people who are still there, nor those in other areas affected by the hostilities or those in dire need of humanitarian relief, wherever they are. We will not spare any effort to reach them.”

As this news came out about this successful evacuation of some civilians, Russian forces renewed their attack on the Azovstal plant. Azov Battalion Deputy Head Sviatoslav Palamar said in a video released by Azov that a large Russian assault by armored vehicles, tanks, boats, and infantry started taking place on May 3rd, after heavy Russian aerial bombardment on the night of the 2nd that he claims resulted in two civilian women dying and 10 more injured. He calls in the video for further evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal complex and Mariupol.