The International Committee of the Red Cross described the situation in Mariupol as «heartbreaking» at noon today, where the evacuation of civilians has been interrupted, calling on the parties to protect civilians in Ukraine. the situation in Mariupol "heartbreaking," where the evacuation of civilians has been interrupted, calling on the parties to protect civilians in Ukraine, whether humanitarian corridors exist and are functioning or not.
«We understand that safe passage operations from Mariupol and Volnovakha will not start today. We continue to work with the parties on the safe passage of civilians from various cities affected by the conflict,” the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said in a press release.
«The scenes unfolding today in Mariupol and other cities are heartbreaking,» added the organization, which is based in Geneva, Switzerland.
On Saturday morning, Russia announced a ceasefire from 9 a.m. local time and Greek time to allow civilians from Mariupol and the town of Volnovakha, 60 kilometers to the north, to leave.
However, the evacuation of residents from Mariupol, a strategic Ukrainian port surrounded by Russian forces and their allies, was interrupted due to multiple Russian violations of the ceasefire, the city hall reported earlier.
Kiev argued that Russian bombing of eastern cities, including Mariupol, prevented residents from leaving the area via the humanitarian corridors agreed upon in the latest round of ceasefire talks.
«The ongoing bombardment makes it impossible to open humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians and the delivery of medicine and food,» said a statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also said that Russian claims that Ukraine was violating the evacuation of civilians «are false and constitute misinformation to justify the criminal actions of the Russian army.».
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that no one used two humanitarian corridors created near the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha today and accused Ukrainian «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.
«Whether humanitarian corridors are operational in the coming days or not, the parties must continue to protect civilians and non-military infrastructure in accordance with international humanitarian law, both for those who choose to leave and those who remain,» he said.
«So-called humanitarian corridors or other measures aimed at providing relief to people affected by the conflict must be well planned and implemented in agreement with the parties involved,» he also noted.
As a neutral and impartial humanitarian mediator, the EUSR stands ready to assist in facilitating the safe passage of civilians «when the parties reach agreement and the terms are strictly humanitarian.».
The capture of Mariupol, a city of about 450,000 inhabitants located on the Sea of Azov, will be a turning point in the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It will allow Russian forces coming from annexed Crimea, which have already captured the key ports of Berdyansk and Kherson, to link up with separatists and Russian troops in Donbas.
Kiev: Russian bombing makes it impossible to open humanitarian corridors
Kiev reported that Russian bombing of eastern cities, including the port city of Mariupol, were preventing residents from leaving the area via the humanitarian corridors agreed upon in the latest round of ceasefire talks.
«The ongoing bombardment makes it impossible to open humanitarian corridors for the safe evacuation of civilians and the delivery of medicine and food,» said a statement from the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry.
The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry also said that Russian claims that Ukraine was violating the evacuation of civilians «are false and constitute misinformation to justify the criminal actions of the Russian army.».
