President Volodymyr Zelensky requested UN assistance in rescuing the remaining wounded buried beneath the massive Azovstal steel complex. Over 300 Ukrainians were evacuated from the damaged city of Mariupol on Wednesday.

In his traditional evening speech to the country, Zelensky claimed 344 people were evacuated from Mariupol and surrounding areas and were heading northwest to the Kyiv-controlled city of Zaporizhzhia.

However, earlier in the day, he asked UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres to assist in the rescue of the wounded who remained at the plant.

“The lives of the people who remain there are in danger,” Zelensky told UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres over the phone.

The Red Cross said in a statement that it was  “relieved that more lives have been spared”and urged further efforts to resume evacuations from the region“in light of the immense suffering of the civilians.”

Meanwhile, fighting with Russian troops raged on at the Azovstal factory, where Ukrainian soldiers had been holed up for weeks.

Moscow, which has denied any storming of the plant, has said its soldiers will suspend fire at the plant for three days beginning Thursday in order to provide a humanitarian corridor for people.

“The Russian armed forces will from 8 am to 6 pm (0500 GMT to 1500 GMT) on May 5, 6 and 7 open a humanitarian corridor from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant to evacuate civilians,” the defence ministry said Wednesday.

Civilians seeking refuge at the factory would be permitted to move to Russia or Kyiv-controlled territory, according to the statement.

Zelensky told Guterres that this week’s evacuations demonstrated to the world “that international organisations can be effective.”

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