The evacuation of residents of Mariupol, a strategic port in southeastern Ukraine surrounded by Russian forces and their allies, has been postponed due to multiple Russian violations of the ceasefire, the town hall accused on Saturday.
The evacuation of residents of Mariupol, a strategic port in southeastern Ukraine surrounded by Russian forces and their allies, has been postponed due to multiple Russian violations of the ceasefire, the town hall accused on Saturday. The evacuation of civilians, which was due to begin in the late morning, “is postponed for security reasons”, as Russian forces “continue to shell Mariupol and its surroundings”, the municipality said on Telegram. She called on the civilians who had gathered at the exit points of the city to “return to the shelters”. “Negotiations are underway with Russia to establish a (ceasefire) and ensure the establishment of a humanitarian corridor,” she added.
Moscow accuses Ukraine
On Saturday morning, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced the entry into force of a ceasefire at 07:00 GMT to allow civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha, a locality 60 km to the north, to leave. For its part, Moscow claimed to have respected the ceasefire and accused the Ukrainian “nationalists” of preventing civilians from leaving encircled cities, such as Mariupol, and of taking advantage of the truce to consolidate their defenses.
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“In Volnovakha and Mariupol, humanitarian corridors were opened daily, but the (Ukrainians) categorically prevented any attempt by civilians to leave in the direction of Russian territory”, assured Russian General Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of the Center for control of national defense. He also accused Ukrainian forces of using civilians and foreign nationals still in several towns as “human shields”.
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