Women, children, elderly exit besieged Ukrainian steel plant

Here are major developments from across the country:

Odessa: Russian forces used cruise missiles to strike a civilian target in this port city Saturday, Ukraine’s military said. It reported no casualties. The region will be under a curfew from Sunday evening until Tuesday morning because of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, Ukrainian Col. Maksym Mikhailovich Marchenko said in a video message. Ukrainian officials have raised concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to declare a formal war with Ukraine.

Mariupol: All women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Saturday. A regional police official told The Post that three Ukrainian troops were killed during the civilian evacuation. Ukrainian fighters holed up at the plant are clinging to hopes of a diplomatic deal that would allow a peaceful evacuation of their wounded, medics and military after weeks of bombardment. Russia has essentially leveled Mariupol and taken over the city center.

Luhansk: Russian forces bombed a school in Luhansk, possibly trapping dozens of people in the rubble, the region’s governor, Serhiy Haidai, said Saturday. In a separate attack Saturday, two boys, 11 and 14, were found dead in a yard after shelling by Russian forces struck a residential area of Pryvillya, Haidai said. A woman and two girls were seriously injured after shrapnel flew into homes, he said, warning that there may be more victims.

Kharkiv: Ukraine accused Russian forces Saturday of blowing up three bridges northeast of Kharkiv to thwart counterattacks; The Post could not independently verify the assertion. Ukrainian forces have been retaking territory in the area, regaining control of the town of Tsyrkuny, about 12 miles northeast of Kharkiv, a military spokesman said Saturday. A Russian missile destroyed a museum in the area, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, the latest blow to Ukraine’s cultural heritage sites.