Almost 500 civilians have been evacuated from the battered city of Mariupol and its besieged Azovstal steel plant since a UN-led rescue operation began, the head of Ukraine's presidential office said Friday. Ukrainian fighters in the tunnels underneath the plant held out against Russian troops Thursday in an increasingly desperate effort to deny Moscow a complete capture of the city. Follow FRANCE 24’s liveblog for the latest developments. All times are Paris time (GMT+2).


https://f24.my/8bam.y

🔔 Subscribe to France 24 now: https://f24.my/YTen
🔴 LIVE - Watch FRANCE 24 English 24/7 here: https://f24.my/YTliveEN

🌍 Read the latest International News and Top Stories: https://www.france24.com/en/

Like us on Facebook: https://f24.my/FBen
Follow us on Twitter: https://f24.my/TWen
Discover the news in pictures on Instagram: https://f24.my/IGen