Ukraine announces agreement to open humanitarian corridor in Mariupol

Kyiv, Apr 20 (EFE).- Ukraine announced Wednesday that an approval to open a humanitarian corridor for the civilians of the besieged Mariupol, to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the southern city.

“Considering the humanitarian catastrophe in Mariupol, we are focusing efforts on this direction today. We have preliminarily agreed on a humanitarian corridor for women, children and the elderly,” Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram, according to official Ukrinform agency.

In the past three days, no humanitarian corridor had been opened, either in Mariupol or other parts of eastern Ukraine due to the absence of security guarantees, said Vereshchuk.

Russia on Wednesday gave another ultimatum to the Ukrainian forces at the Azovstal metal plant in Mariupol to lay down their surrender, after the deadline for other similar warnings expired the previous day.

The last resistance of Ukrainian troops in the city are put up in this steel plant, whose numbers are estimated to be around 2,000-2,500, apart from over a thousand civilians who have taken refuge there, according to Ukrainian sources.

According to estimates by sources from the mayor’s office in Mariupol, there are currently about 100,000 citizens left in the city, from the half a million at the beginning of the Russian invasion on Feb.24. EFE

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