The Ukrainian authorities announced that they will not open humanitarian corridors in the country today to evacuate civilians and supply essential goods, due to the blockade and ceasefire violations by Russian forces.
“Unfortunately, it cannot be opened today,” Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshuk said.
And in the southern Zaporia region, “the (Russian) occupiers have closed evacuation buses and in the Lugansk region are violating the ceasefire,” the official said on the Telegram platform.
Zaporizhia is a common destination for refugees fleeing the port city of Mariupol, which has been under Russian siege since almost the beginning of the invasion on February 24.
Lugansk, a pro-Russian self-proclaimed republic recognized by Moscow, is currently one of the main targets of the Russian forces.
“Not only do the occupiers ignore the norms of international humanitarian law, they are also unable to adequately control their population on the ground,” added Irina Vereshuk.
“We are working to reopen the humanitarian corridors as soon as possible,” he stressed.
Over a thousand Ukrainian soldiers surrendered in Mariupol
More than 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers have surrendered to Russian forces in Mariupol, the besieged city for weeks, the Russian Defense Ministry said today.
“In the city of Mariupol, in the area of the Ilyich Metal Plant (…), 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers of the 36th Infantry Brigade of the Navy voluntarily laid down their arms and surrendered,” the Russian ministry said in a statement.
According to the same source, 150 soldiers were injured and treated in Mariupol Hospital.
And a Russian public television report broadcast by “Russia 24” channel from Tuesday night to today announced the surrender of more than a thousand Ukrainian soldiers in Mariupol.
Video footage showed men in camouflage uniforms carrying the wounded on stretchers or being interrogated as they stood in what appeared to be a basement.
On Tuesday, regional authorities in southeastern Ukraine estimated at least 20,000 casualties in Mariupol, which has been bombed for more than 40 days.
The fighting is now concentrated in the giant industrial area of the city.
The capture of Mariupol would allow the Russians to consolidate their territorial gains in the coastal strip along the Sea of Azov, linking the Donbass region with Crimea, which the Russians annexed in 2014.
