Hundreds of civilians have been evacuated from Mariupol in UN-led rescue operations, a Ukrainian official confirmed. A new push to free civilians from the besieged Azovstal steel plant is also planned. 

After weeks of bombardment and delays, progress is being made in efforts to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol, the Ukrainian president's office said on Friday.

Nearly 500 civilians have been rescued in a United Nations-led operation, said Andriy Yermak, who heads the office of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

He announced the figures in a post on Telegram, adding that Kyiv will "do everything to save all its civilians and military" stuck in the heavily damaged city that is almost completely under the control of Russian forces.

The UN is set to send in a new convoy later on Friday in an effort to rescue hundreds more civilians who remain trapped in the city's Azovstal steel plant. Despite Russia's announcement of a three-day daytime ceasefire, fighting reportedly has continued at the complex.

DW