The municipal council of Mariupol, a city of strategic importance in eastern Ukraine, announced that a new operation to evacuate civilians will begin today at 12:00 (Greek time and time).
For this purpose, there will be a temporary ceasefire from 10:00 to 21:00, the same source added.
“The evacuation of civilians will begin at 12:00,” city officials told the Telegram, adding that a humanitarian corridor would be set up for the town of Zaporizhia, about a three-hour drive away.
Yesterday, a similar effort had to be abandoned due to the ceasefire violations, for which Russia and Ukraine blamed each other.
Mariupol, which normally has about 450,000 inhabitants, is surrounded by Russian forces.
Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boichenko told a Ukrainian television network on Saturday that its residents had been faced with a “humanitarian blockade” as they were now deprived of all basic services.
Russian troops have cut all 15 lines of the power grid and Mariupol has been without electricity for five days. “People are suffering from the cold in their homes as the heating units are running on electricity, while the mobile networks are also down,” he explained.
Even before the war broke out, the main water supply line of Mariupol had a problem and after the conflict broke out, the water supply from backup sources stopped, he continued.
Meanwhile, fighting continues in key areas of Ukraine. Sirens sounded in Kyiv a while ago.
Russia says it has hit and destroyed its air force, military base Starokostiantiniv in Ukraine using long-range and high-precision weapons, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced.
Ukraine, for its part, says more than 11,000 Russian soldiers have been killed in the country since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24.
At the same time, the cities of Sumy and Lebedin, in northeastern Ukraine, Russian attacks continueannounced Dmitry Sivitsky, head of the authorities in the Sumy region, via Telegram.
Russian planes destroyed a warehouse with food and construction materials, as well as a parking lot yesterday Saturday, while a factory that generates electricity and guarantees the heating of homes was destroyed the day before yesterday, he said.
Russian forces have been trying to seize Kyiv, Kharkiv and other key areas in Ukraine since February 24.
There is no heating in Ochtyrka, between Sumi and Lebedin, and water and electricity have also been cut off in some areas. The residents of Mariupol have also been left without heating, water and electricity.
The Russians are seeking to take over hydroelectric power station dam of strategic importance south of the capital, Kiev today warned the Ukrainian army.
The General Staff clarified that the Russian troops are now targeting the Kaniv Dam, which is located 150 kilometers south of Kiev, on the Dnipro River.
More than 800,000 refugees have crossed into Poland since 1.6 million who have left Ukraine, for neighboring countries. UN envoys speak of the biggest humanitarian crisis they have ever faced. New refugee living structures are now being set up in the capital, Warsaw, and Krakow.
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