According to the Defense Ministry in Moscow, Russia is allowing humanitarian corridors for the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.
Russian troops would stop firing at 8 a.m., Russian news agency Interfax reported. Mariupol is located on the Azov Sea, Volnowakha in the east and also in the Donetsk region. Civilians might leave the encircled cities during this time, it said.
Civilians in Mariupol are allowed out of the city between 10 a.m. and 3 p.m. The humanitarian corridor there is open for five hours, the Russian agency RIA Novosti reported on Saturday, citing local authorities. The Mariupol City Council said at 10 a.m. the evacuation of civilians would begin.
Russia “blocks” the city
The strategically important port of Mariupol is under a Russian “blockade” following days of “reckless” attacks, according to Mayor Vadym Boichenko of before Moscow’s announcement. “At the moment we are looking for solutions to the humanitarian problems and possible ways to free Mariupol from the blockade,” Boichenko said on Saturday on the Telegram messenger service.
“Our priority is to establish a ceasefire so that we can restore vital infrastructure and set up a humanitarian corridor to bring food and medicine to the city,” Boichenko said.
Boichenko’s deputy Sergei Orlov spoke to the BBC on Friday regarding a “terrible” humanitarian situation in Mariupol following the city of 450,000 had been shelled for more than 40 hours. Orlov also accused Russian forces of attacking schools and hospitals. Russian President Vladimir Putin wants to “destroy Ukraine as a nation,” he said.
Strategically important city
Mariupol is near the former front line between pro-Russian separatists from eastern Ukraine and the Ukrainian army. Taking the port city would allow Russian troops to join forces with units from Crimea and Donbass.
On Thursday, during negotiations in western Belarus, a Russian and a Ukrainian delegation agreed on humanitarian corridors in particularly hard-fought areas of Ukraine. However, on Friday the warring parties accused each other of obstructing escape corridors for civilians.
Apart from the announcement from Moscow for Mariupol and Volnovakha, Russian troops continued their attacks on the tenth day of the war in Ukraine. The Russian Ministry of Defense confirmed this in the same breath: The offensive is continuing, the RIA Novosti agency reported.
Kyiv and Kharkiv are to be surrounded
According to Ukrainian sources, the attacks focused on encircling the capital Kyiv and the second largest city Kharkiv. Kyiv was attacked once more, explosions were heard from the center. The Ukrainian media outlet Suspilne, citing local authorities, reported that there was a risk of street fighting in the city of Sumi. The people of Sumi, which is around 300 kilometers east of Kyiv, should stay in shelters.
The Russian action is also aimed at creating a land bridge to the annexed peninsula of Crimea in the south, the Ukrainian state information service said. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy wanted to contact the US Senate on Saturday and ask for further help. According to Senate staff, the conference call was scheduled for 3:30 p.m. (CET).