“The lives of tens of thousands including women, children, and older people, are at stake in Mariupol,” said Amin Awad the UN’s Crisis Coordinator for Ukraine.

“We need a pause in fighting right now to save lives. The longer we wait the more lives will be at risk. They must be allowed to safely evacuate now, today. Tomorrow could be too late.” Awad said.

Following the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine, Mariupol was a strategic target for Russian and pro-Russian forces. Since 25 February, the city has been under siege.

On 13 March the Red Cross warned that the siege had become a humanitarian crisis. A month into the conflict, Ukrainian authorities said that about 90% of buildings in Mariupol were damaged or destroyed.

An aid worker from the Red Cross described the conditions there as "apocalyptic", with concerns for the humanitarian situation caused by severe damage to infrastructure, access to sanitation, and food shortages.

By late April, Russian and separatist troops had pushed deep into the city, with the few pockets of Ukrainian troops retreating into the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works.

The steel mill contains a complex of bunkers and tunnels which could even resist a nuclear bombing.

On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated that the city of Mariupol was under Russian control and then he said his troops would not storm the Azovstal Steel Mill but instead blockade it. (ILKHA)