Russia-Ukraine war live updates: Civilian evacuations underway at besieged Mariupol steel plant, leaders say

A long-awaited effort to evacuate civilians from a Mariupol steel plant that is the last battleground for control of the strategic port city got underway Saturday, though an official cautioned it was still in the early stages.

A cease-fire went into effect at 11 a.m. local time, allowing 20 women and children to be taken to a collection point, said Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, in a video shared on Telegram. More of the hundreds of civilians believed to have taken shelter at Azovstal Iron and Steel Works are expected to be escorted out tomorrow, Mykhailo Vershynin, chief of the Donetsk regional patrol police, told The Washington Post.