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| Refugees from Mariupol cross the border of Ukraine and Russia at the border crossing Veselo-Voznesenka in the Rostov region, Russia, 07 March 2022. The Interdepartmental Coordination Center for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine on 07 March reported that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation declare a regime of silence and from 10 am open humanitarian corridors from four cities in Ukraine – Kyiv, Kharkov, Sumy and Mariupol. Later, Kyiv refused to open the humanitarian corridors proposed by Russia. Thousands of people want to leave Mariupol, but only 500 people managed to get out of there. Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in the Donbas with the aim of demilitarising and denazifying Ukraine, as well as bringing to justice those who committed numerous bloody crimes against civilians. Martial law has been introduced in Ukraine, explosions are heard in many cities, including Kiev. EPA-EFE/ARKADY BUDNITSKY |
Ukraine hopes a “humanitarian corridor” will be opened successfully for civilians to leave the besieged southern port city of Mariupol on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.
Residents have been cowering under fire, and without power or water, in the strategic ally important city of over 400,000 people for more than a week and attempts to arrange a local ceasefire and safe passage out have failed repeatedly.
“We hope it will work today,” Vereshchuk said in a televised statement in which she said she hoped several other humanitarian corridors would also be opened.
Russia’s defence ministry said it would open humanitarian corridors from Kyiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Chernihiv.
President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said that not a single civilian had been able to leave Mariupol on Thursday, a day after an attack on a hospital which he said killed three people.
He blamed Russian shelling for the failure of the evacuation attempt.
Russia blames Ukraine for the collapse of humanitarian corridors and denies targeting civilians. Moscow calls its actions in Ukraine a “special operation” to disarm Ukraine and unseat leaders it calls neo-Nazis.
