The evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, a strategically important port city in southeastern Ukraine that is surrounded by Russian forces, has been halted due to numerous Russian violations of the ceasefire, the city hall reported today.
The evacuation of civilians, which was scheduled to begin this morning, «has been postponed for security reasons,» as Russian forces «continue to shell Mariupol and its outskirts,» the city government said in a post on Telegram.
The municipality called on citizens who had gathered at the city's exit points «to return to the shelters.».
«Negotiations are underway with Russia to establish a ceasefire and ensure the creation of a humanitarian corridor,» he added.
This morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that the ceasefire would take effect at 9:00 a.m. local time and Greek time, to allow civilians from Mariupol and the town of Volnovakha, 60 kilometers to the north, to leave.
Moscow accuses Ukrainian «nationalists» of blocking humanitarian corridors and preventing civilians from leaving
The Russian Ministry of Defense announced that no one used the two humanitarian corridors established near the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha today and accused the«nationalists» of preventing civilians from leaving, Reuters reported, citing the Russian news agency RIA.
In statements that completely contradict those made by Ukrainian officials, the ministry said that Russian forces came under fire after the humanitarian corridors were established, during a partial ceasefire.
The Mariupol city government stated earlier that Russia is not fully complying with the ceasefire, and Ukrainian officials said they are investigating reports that Russian troops are using the ceasefireto advance toward Mariupol.
Russian airstrikes have decreased over the past 24 hours, according to British intelligence agencies
The frequency of Russian airstrikes and artillery fire in Ukraine has decreased over the past 24 hours compared to previous days, but Russian forces are believed to be advancing in the southern part of the country, according to a new briefing by British intelligence agencies.
«Ukraine continues to maintain control of the key cities of Kharkiv, Chernihiv, and Mariupol,» the British Ministry of Defense said on Twitter earlier today. «There have been reports of street fighting in the city of Sumy. It is highly likely that all four cities are surrounded by Russian forces.».
The ministry added that Russian forces are likely advancing toward the southern port of Mykolaiv, and there is a realistic possibility that some forces will attempt to bypass the city in order to prioritize their advance toward Odessa.
