Ukraine is trying a new evacuation operation from Mariupol

A new opportunity to launch a civil evacuation operation from besieged Mariupol. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has confirmed that its teams are heading to the devastated port city of southern Ukraine for humanitarian aid and says they are ready to facilitate the safe exit of stranded residents from the city this Friday. , Scene. One of the most horrific horrors of war.

Ukrainian authorities announced this morning that they had rented 45 buses in Mariupol and assured them that they would “do everything possible” to arrive on Thursday and pick up people who had not yet been able to leave the city. So far, major efforts have been launched in Mariupol to evacuate civilians with humanitarian aid or buses, with residents only being able to leave on their own.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said they had received a message from the International Committee of the Red Cross stating that Russia had confirmed its readiness to open the entrance to Mariupol for a humanitarian convoy. As mentioned, 45 buses were sent to Mariupol along the route, and as of 9:00 a.m., 28 buses are allowed at the Russian checkpoint in Vasilivka, about 200 kilometers from Mariupol. In addition, 17 buses have already left for the city of Zaporozhye.

The Russian Defense Ministry on Wednesday night announced a ceasefire to evacuate civilians from Mariupol to Zaporozhye on Thursday at 10:00 a.m., at an intermediate point in Berdyansk.

“For the success of this humanitarian operation,” they said, “it is proposed that it be carried out with the direct participation of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross.” . ”.

“Thousands of people depend on this operation”

This Thursday, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced that its teams are now traveling with essential items and medical supplies to prepare for the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol. However, they said that for logistical and security reasons, they were ready to conduct an evacuation operation tomorrow, Friday, “provided that all parties agree on the exact terms, including the route, start time and duration.” .

“It is hopelessly important that this operation is carried out. “The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it,” the organization said in a statement.

The Mariupol city council later said the plan was for the caravan to arrive in Berdyansk this Thursday, while boarding buses and evacuating the city’s residents this Friday, “hoping to reach Ukrainian-controlled territory”. . “I appeal to all international partners to help and save all the inhabitants of Mariupol through joint actions. “Let’s save the people, let’s save the city,” Mayor Vadim Boichenko told the Telegram.

The besieged and bombed Mariupol is in dire straits after weeks of siege. The mayor said the southern city should be completely evacuated, stressing that there are about 160,000 people left in the city, where he reiterates that life is impossible without electricity and heating. Many neighbors were locked in basements for weeks, without food, water or medication. City officials said thousands of people were killed in the attacks and most of the buildings were damaged or destroyed.

“The level of destruction of civilian infrastructure in Mariupol is on the rise,” warns the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), which estimates that some 2,340 homes have been damaged, of which 1,040 have been completely destroyed. . More than 90% of all the city’s hospitals and schools have been damaged and 40% completely destroyed, “severely restricting access to education and health care.”

According to Western military analysts, L.Russian forces continue to make steady but costly advances in the city and believe it is likely that Russian forces will inflict heavy losses in the battle, but Mariupol is likely to fall in a few days.

Civilians can leave Mariupol only by their own means, for example, by private car or even on foot, without a permit to cease hostilities or to leave safely. Kiev has repeatedly accused Moscow of avoiding a large-scale evacuation operation from the city, of buses and trucks carrying humanitarian aid. OCHA reiterates the need for safe corridors to provide relief and safe evacuation of the population from the besieged city.

The council says more than 80,000 residents of Mariupol have already been evacuated to Zaporozhye, where they mostly arrive by their own cars or buses from Berdyansk, a seaside town halfway across the humanitarian corridor. “Every day begins with the preparation of a new evacuation convoy and ends with the reception of people who have already arrived in Zaporozhye. “Every day is a struggle for the residents of Mariupol, who remain in the besieged city,” the mayor said.

This Thursday, in addition to sending buses to Mariupol, two humanitarian corridors were agreed in the Zaporozhye region, from Melitopol and Energodar, and the Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister said that people in private cars could join humanitarian convoys from Mariupol and Melitopol.

French President Emmanuel Macron spoke to Vladimir Putin this week about the situation in Ukraine. As the French president moved forward these days, his goal was to organize a major operation to evacuate the besieged civilian population in Mariupol in cooperation with Turkey, Greece, humanitarian organizations and the Ukrainian authorities. After a call on Tuesday, the Elysee said the terms of such an operation “do not currently exist” and that Putin had told the French president that he would “think about it” before answering. According to the Kremlin, the Russian president reiterated that in order to resolve the humanitarian situation in the city, “Ukrainian nationalist militants must stop resisting and lay down their arms.”

“We are very careful at this time, as this is not the first time Russia has made such a statement: a ceasefire or a ‘regime of silence,'” Elisema was quoted as saying by Russian media this Wednesday. As they call it. ”

Ukraine and Russia agreed on March 3 to establish humanitarian corridors to secure supplies and aid to trapped civilians from certain areas, while hostilities are, in theory, temporarily suspended. But its implementation was slow and limited and there were many unsuccessful attempts against the backdrop of allegations of ceasefire violations. Moscow generally blames Kiev for the failure of these operations.