According to the state-run Ukrinform news service, Ukraine and Russia are discussing the evacuation of 60 personnel from the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol.

According to Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, the evacuation is currently focused on badly injured soldiers and medical staff, with several hundred injured in the Azovstal plant overall.

Vereshchuk stated on Thursday that Ukraine is seeking to trade 38 critically injured Azovstal troops for the seized Russian military personnel.

All women, children, and the elderly at the Azovstal factory were evacuated earlier this month, according to Ukraine.

Mariupol, a significant Azov Sea port city in eastern Ukraine, has seen one of the worst episodes of the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

The Azovstal facility, which encompasses around 11 square kilometres, is the last stronghold of Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol.