According to head of state Volodymyr Zelenskyy, more than 3,000 people have been evacuated from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. “Today there were humanitarian corridors in three regions: Donetsk, Luhansk and Zaporizhia,” Zelenskyy said in a video speech published Saturday night. “We managed to rescue 6,266 people, including 3,071 people from Mariupol.”
Dozens of buses carrying civilians from the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol and other displaced persons arrived in Zaporizhzhya, 220 kilometers away, on Friday evening. The buses were packed with Mariupol residents who had managed to reach the Russian army-occupied city of Berdiansk, where they were picked up by the convoy, fugitives and officials told AFP.
Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in a video on the Telegram shopping service that 42 buses were en route to take civilians from Mariupol to safety. An AFP reporter in Zaporizhzhya saw about 30 buses there.
difficult mission
Vereshchuk promised the many other civilians trapped in Mariupol that he would continue to do everything to save them. “We know how much you want to be saved,” the deputy prime minister said. “Every day we will keep trying to get through it until you get a chance to get out of the city, and most importantly, live a life of peace.”
Mariupol has been under heavy fire from Russian troops for weeks. At least 5,000 people have died in the city since the war began, according to Ukrainian information, and about 160,000 civilians are said to remain trapped in the largely destroyed city. The humanitarian situation in the city is devastating; people have little access to water, food and electricity.
Red Cross convoy had to turn around
An International Red Cross (ICRC) convoy will again attempt to evacuate civilians from Mariupol on Saturday. On Friday, the ICRC team had to call off a rescue operation intended to escort a convoy of 54 Ukrainian buses and private vehicles out of the city. The evacuation from Mariupol was approved by both sides, the ICRC said in a statement. Important details, such as the exact timetable and destination of the convoy, have yet to be worked out.
Zelenskyy, meanwhile, warned people in the Russian-controlled south of the country not to accept any posts in the occupation regime. In his video speech, he referred to such people as Gauleiters, such as the Nazis. “My message to them is simple: the responsibility for the cooperation is inescapable,” Zelenskyy said in Kiev. According to Ukrainian information, Russia is trying to set up pro-Moscow administrations in the occupied territories.
Source: Krone
I’m Wayne Wickman, a professional journalist and author for Today Times Live. My specialty is covering global news and current events, offering readers a unique perspective on the world’s most pressing issues. I’m passionate about storytelling and helping people stay informed on the goings-on of our planet.
