Ukraine announced that all women, children and elderly had been evacuated from a steel plant, a key Russian war objective that has long been under siege.
The close-quarter battle inside the steel plant — the last Ukrainian stronghold of the strategic port city of Mariupol --appeared increasingly desperate.
The final battle for Mariupol is taking place inside the Azovstal steel plant, a massive coastal complex in the besieged city. Hundreds of civilians are still trapped inside, officials say.
"Like the apocalypse, like a horror film," is how one evacuee describes weeks of sheltering in the vast, Soviet-era steel plant. Her daughter says, "Each day felt like it would be our last one alive."
The Russian Defense Ministry said it will open a humanitarian corridor for civilians on Monday, but Ukrainian officials said they had not agreed with Russia on a route and leaving would not be safe.