“We haven’t had water, electricity or heating for days and we can’t leave the city. » The calls for help from the population of Mariupol, which has a population of half a million, are heartbreaking and illustrate the tragedy that is unfolding in southern Ukraine. Deprived of everything, this great strategic port city located on the Sea of Azov is besieged by Russian troops who bombard it blindly. Multiple negotiations between the Russian, Ukrainian and international authorities have enabled the establishment of humanitarian corridors to evacuate the civilian population: Moscow announced on Monday March 7 the opening of several Mariupol corridors. Several evacuation attempts have already failed while the port city might fall into the hands of the Russian military at any time.
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“Amid devastating scenes of human suffering, a second attempt today, Sunday March 6, to evacuate some 200,000 people from the city was halted,” alerted an official of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). This corridor was to open in the middle of the day to allow this evacuation of civilians to the town of Zaporijjia, located more than three hours away. “But the column to evacuate the population might not get out of Mariupol because the Russians regrouped their forces and started shelling the city”, explained on Facebook the Ukrainian governor of the region, Pavlo Kirilenko.
“Catastrophic situation”
For his part, the pro-Russian separatist commander, Edouard Bassourin, accused the Ukrainian troops of not respecting the temporary ceasefire declared the day before. With both sides blaming each other for this humanitarian failure, Ukrainian Mayor Vadim Boitchenko said his city was under “humanitarian blockade” with “thousands injured”.
According to the NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF) on site in Mariupol, “the situation is catastrophic and its 450,000 inhabitants lack water, food and heating”. According to MSF teams, it would take more than humanitarian corridors to evacuate so many people. This would already take time in times of peace, so in the midst of conflict, caught between belligerent forces and bombs, it would take days and days.
The battle of Mariupol is of paramount importance in this Russian offensive in Ukraine. His fall would mark a turning point in the invasion launched on February 24. It would allow the junction between the Russian troops coming from the Crimea annexed in 2014, which have already taken the key ports of Berdiansk and Kherson, and the Russian troops from Donbass. These unified and consolidated forces might then move up towards central and northern Ukraine.
