Russia-Ukraine crisis: Zelensky asks UN chief to help save wounded at Mariupol plant

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday asked the head of the United Nations to help "save" the lives of the remaining wounded Ukrainians trapped underneath the giant Azovstal steel plant in battered Mariupol.

"The lives of the people who remain there are in danger. Everyone is important to us. We ask for your help in saving them," Zelensky told Antonio Guterres by phone, after thanking him for a successful UN and Red Cross-led evacuation this week.

He called on the UN to "assist in the removal of all the wounded from Azovstal."

The statement came as Ukraine said Wednesday that there were fierce battles with Russian troops at the plant, where Ukrainian soldiers had been holed up for weeks.

Zelensky said that this week's evacuations led by the UN and Red Cross, which he said brought over 100 people trapped in Azovstal to safety, showed the world "that international organisations can be effective.

He "expressed hope for a successful continuation of the ongoing evacuation operation."

Guterres visited both Moscow and Kyiv last week, which paved the way for the evacuations.

• Europe