An apartment complex in Mariupol, Ukraine, burned by Russian bombing on the 19th (local time)▶ Click here for a larger view
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Russian troops had hijacked a humanitarian convoy that was trying to enter Mariupol in southern Ukraine.
President Zelensky said in a video address on the 22nd (local time) that Russian troops had kidnapped 15 rescuers and drivers of a humanitarian convoy en route to Mariupol.
They are said to have been taken prisoner on their way to Mariupol near the city of Manhu.
The Red Cross delivering aid also confirmed that the humanitarian convoy on the way to Mariupol might not enter.
President Zelensky said local authorities were doing their best to rescue the convoy.
It also criticized the Russian military for blocking entry, although it had previously agreed to open the way for these convoys to Mariupol.
“We are trying to create a stable humanitarian channel for the people of Mariupol, but unfortunately almost all of our efforts have been thwarted by Russian shelling and deliberate terrorism,” he said.
President Zelensky said that more than 7,000 people had been evacuated from Mariupol.
“Those who remain are in an inhumane environment in a city that is completely locked down,” he said.
He added that it is estimated that regarding 100,000 residents remain in Mariupol. Before the war, Mariupol was a city of 430,000 inhabitants.
On the 20th, Russia issued an ultimatum to Ukrainian forces in Mariupol, but fighting continued as Ukraine refused to surrender.
Mariupol is a key point connecting the eastern Donbas region with the Crimean peninsula, and has been turned into ruins due to heavy attack by Russian forces from the beginning of the war.
The humanitarian crisis is intensifying as the Russian military has also launched attacks on civilian areas and cut off the supply of aid for the people inside.
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