Planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol halts amid fresh shelling by Russian forces

|HT|

A planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, a port city of war-torn Ukraine, was halted on Saturday in the wake of fresh shelling by Russian forces hours after a temporary ceasefire was agreed upon. The Russian defence ministry earlier said it had agreed on evacuation routes with Ukrainian forces for Mariupol, a strategic port in the southeast, and the eastern city of Volnovakha. The statement, however, did not make clear how long the routes would remain open.

“The Russian side is not holding to the cease-fire and has continued firing on Mariupol itself and on its surrounding area,” said Kyrylo Tymoshenko, the deputy head of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s office.

“Talks with the Russian Federation are ongoing regarding setting up a cease-fire and ensuring a safe humanitarian corridor.”

"Due to the fact that the Russian side does not adhere to the ceasefire and has continued shelling both Mariupol itself and its environs, and for security reasons, the evacuation of the civilian population has been postponed," city officials said in a statement posted on social media. Civilians who gathered to leave were told to return to shelters, according to reports. Negotiations were underway "to establish a ceasefire and ensure a safe humanitarian corridor", Mariupol authorities added.

According to reports, Russia breached the deal in Volnovakha as well. “We appeal to the Russian side to stop firing,” said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.

Meanwhile, Russian outlet RIA Novosti said the firing came from inside both communities against Russian positions.

(Except for the headline and the pictorial description, this story has not been edited by THE DEN staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)