Dozens leave Mariupol plant as Pelosi slams Russian 'bullies'

Cars queue at a petrol station in Kyiv as fears grow over shortages of fuel due to the war. "It's understandable because it what it is, we have to make some sacrifices, and this one is not the biggest," says Vitaliy as he waits in his car.

Dozens of civilians have left a besieged steel plant in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, Russia said on Sunday, as US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi promised to support Ukraine against Russian "bullies" after visiting Kyiv.

Russia's defence ministry said a total of 46 civilians had left in two groups on Saturday from the area around the Azovstal plant -- the last holdout of Ukrainian forces in the city.

The development has raised hopes of a long-awaited evacuation from the plant, where Ukrainian fighters say they and hundreds of civilians have been sheltering from relentless Russian bombardment.

Pope Francis on Sunday used his weekly Angelus prayer to renew his appeal for humanitarian corridors from Mariupol, saying that the city had been "bombed and destroyed in a barbaric manner".

Western powers have rushed to send military aid to Ukraine and imposed heavy sanctions on Russia.

"If they are making threats, you cannot back down. That's my view of it. We are here for the fight and you cannot fold to a bully," she said.

"We are visiting you to say thank you for your fight for freedom... Our commitment is to be there for you until the fight is done," she told him.

- 'Radio silence' -

Mariupol is an important strategic hub connecting the Russian-held southern and eastern parts of Ukraine.

One group of 21 people was taken to Bezimenne, a village on the Azov Sea near Mariupol that is controlled by Russian forces, the ministry said, without specifying what happened to the others.

A ministry video showed a convoy of cars and buses travelling in the dark, marked with a "Z", the letter used by the Russian forces in the conflict. 

On Saturday, the Ukrainian forces guarding the Azovstal site had said that 20 civilians, including children, had left the area and voiced hope that they would be allowed to reach the city of Zaporizhzhia, which is under Ukrainian control.

Russia's defence ministry also on Sunday said it had used high-precision Onyx missiles to strike a hangar at a military aerodrome housing weapons and ammunition from the United States and European countries and destroyed the runway.

Near Bucha, the town near Kyiv that has become synonymous with allegations of Russian war crimes, Ukrainian police also on Saturday reported finding three bodies shot in the head with their hands tied.

"The victims' hands were tied, cloths were covering their eyes and some were gagged. There are traces of torture on the corpses," the statement said.

Russia has denied any involvement in civilian deaths in Bucha.

"Beginning May 1, we will move to the ruble zone," Kirill Stremousov, a civilian and military administrator of Kherson, was cited as saying earlier by Russia's state news agency RIA Novosti.

- 'Guard the line' -

One of the areas taken back from Russian control was the village of Ruska Lozova, which evacuees said had been occupied for two months.

Kyiv has admitted that Russian forces have captured a string of villages in the Donbas region and has asked Western powers to deliver more heavy weapons to bolster its defences there.

"We cannot let the enemy move closer, we try to hold it with all our force," he said.

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