Current events – Kyiv: the evacuation of Mariupol fails again

In the port city of Mariupol, which has been besieged by Russian forces, a rescue operation for civilians failed again on Wednesday, according to Ukrainian government statements. “Unfortunately, the humanitarian corridor from Mariupol did not work as planned today,” Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshuk told Telegram. There was no ceasefire. The situation is especially tense around the Azowstal steel plants, which according to Ukrainian sources also house 1,000 civilians.

Wereshuk said the “disorganized occupiers” were unable to get people to the agreed point in time “where our buses and ambulances were waiting.” There should be a new attempt on Thursday to bring people from the besieged coastal city to the Zaporizhia region.

In the evening, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that no steel plant had left through the corridor. He had previously asked the fighters to lay down their weapons and go to Russian families. refuse. “The enemy continues to bombard, so our civilians cannot safely leave the area,” Svyatoslav Balamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, said in a video message.

Mariupol has been completely surrounded by Russian forces since early March. Of the city’s 440,000 residents, more than 100,000 are said to remain in the largely devastated city. Several attempts to evacuate were unsuccessful. (dpa/reu/apa)