Ukraine’s Azov battalion, leading Kyiv’s defence of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, accused Russian forces Friday of firing during a civilian evacuation of the huge steelworks, despite a Moscow-imposed ceasefire.
“During the ceasefire at the Azovstal plant, a car was hit by Russians who used an anti-tank guided weapon,” the Azov battalion said on Telegram, saying the vehicle was “moving towards civilians to evacuate them” at the time.
The strike killed one Ukrainian fighter and wounded six others, it said.
The Russian army had said it would impose a three-day ceasefire from Thursday to allow civilians to leave the plant, but Ukrainian fighters said “assault operations” continued against Azovstal.
Kyiv had earlier said evacuations of civilians from the steelworks would continue on Friday after almost 500 people from both Azovstal and the port city of Mariupol were taken to safety in UN-led rescue operations.
The capture of Azovstal would allow Moscow to claim total control of Mariupol, a strategic port on the Azov Sea that has suffered huge destruction since the Russian invasion began on February 24.
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