A humanitarian catastrophe is approaching Mariupol. It remains completely blocked for the delivery of humanitarian aid and the evacuation of civilians.
Yesterday, on March 10, the cargo from Zaporizhzhya for the residents of the city again did not reach its destination and returned back to the place of departure. On the way back, these buses were supposed to pick up civilians. Irina Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Minister for Reintegration, warned of a humanitarian catastrophe, writes “Correspondent”. She says:
“There are now fighting between the city of Orekhov and the village of Pologi, our humanitarian cargo has returned to Zaporozhye again, this is the fourth day when we cannot deliver water, necessary medicines and food. Everything indicates that these are the crimes that will fall under for war crimes against civilians.”
Kyiv and Moscow accuse each other of the fact that the humanitarian corridors, the organization of which was announced a few days ago, are still not fully operational, notes euronews. There is no electricity in Mariupol, there is no water supply and sewerage, there is an acute shortage of food and medicine. According to local authorities, the city is on the verge of a humanitarian catastrophe. In his video address yesterday, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, as quoted by Interfax-Ukrainesaid:
“I decided to send a convoy of trucks for Mariupol. With food, water, medicine. I am grateful to the drivers – brave people who were ready to carry out this mission. An extremely important mission. But the occupiers launched a tank attack exactly where this corridor should have been. The corridor of life “.
Aleksey Arestovich, adviser to the head of the President’s Office, notes that “the entire military-political leadership of Ukraine is now solving the problem of Mariupol as the number one problem.” Recalling that more than forty thousand people were evacuated from other blocked or partially blocked cities in two days.
Mariupol authorities say that about 1,300 civilians have already died during the siege. They are forced to be buried in mass graves due to the constant threat of shelling. UN estimates as of Thursday are more than 500 dead across the country. But the organization emphasizes that the real numbers can be much higher.
The city authorities accuse the Russian military of constant strikes on civilian targets and attempts to use humanitarian corridors to break into the city. Moscow claims that residential areas are being used as cover for Ukrainian firepower.
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