New call for “complete evacuation” of Mariupol addressed the mayor of the city, which according to Vladimir Putin is now controlled by Russian forces.
«We need only one thing – the complete removal of the population. About 100,000 people remain in Mariupol“, Said Vadim Boichenko on state television.
At the same time, as he mentioned Deputy Prime Minister Irina VerestsukUkraine will not open humanitarian corridors today to evacuate civilians trapped in the conflict due to the risks involved.
«Due to the danger on the routes today, April 22, there will be no humanitarian corridors“, Wrote Verestsuk in a post on Facebook. «To all those waiting to leave: be patient, please be courageous!».
Earlier, one of the last Ukrainian defenders in the besieged city spoke for trapped civiliansand dead and woundedunder buildings that have collapsed at the Azofstal factory in Mariupol.
Deputy Commander Svyatoslav Palamar from Azov’s battalion told the BBC that the Russians are constantly bombing the factory.
«Practically all the buildings in Azofstal have been destroyed. They drop bombs, bombs that destroy warehouses and cause huge damage. We have wounded and dead in the warehouses. Some civilians remain trapped under the collapsed buildings“, Palamar stated characteristically.
At the same time, he stressed that the civilians were in other locations away from the fighters. «They are in basements where 80-100 people have taken refuge, but it is not clear how many civilians there are, as some buildings were destroyed and the fighters could not reach them due to the bombing.“, He pointed out.
Entrances to some of the warehouses are “blocked” from heavy concrete slabs that only heavy machinery can move, he pointed out.
«We keep in touch with the citizens who live in places we can reach. We know there are young children there just three months old“, he said.
Deputy Commander of the Azov Regiment told Radio Liberty:
«It was our makeshift hospital … Heavy bombs fall on the Azovstal steel plant, and now many people are under the rubble … Azovstal was bombed and almost completely destroyed. We take people out of the ruins».
Palamar called for the safe passage of civilians from the steelworks and asked a third country or an international organization to act as a guarantor for their safety.
«These people have already gone through a lot, through war crimes. They do not trust the Russians and they are scaredHe added.
He clarified that there is no question of handing over the weapons to the Russians.
«As for the surrender in exchange for the safe exit for the civilians, I hope we all know who we are dealing with. We know for sure that all the guarantees, all the statements of the Russian Federation are worth nothing».
It is noted that yesterday, the head of the Ukrainian negotiating team and advisor to Zelensky, Michael Pontoliakyesterday accused world leaders of having “blood on their handsAdding that “people are watching the murder of children on the internet and remain silent».
55th day of war. 🇷🇺 continues to shell Azovstal with powerful anti-bunker bombs. The world watches the murder of children online and remains silent. Religious & world leaders can stop it by organizing humanitarian corridors. Otherwise, the blood will be on their hands, too. pic.twitter.com/b9UaGR6VSB
– Михайло Подоляк (@Podolyak_M) April 19, 2022
Follow Skai.gr on Google News
and be the first to know all the news
