Topline
Ukraine is planning to evacuate around 6,000 women, children and elderly people from the besieged port city of Mariupol on Wednesday after reaching a preliminary agreement with Russia to allow for a safe corridor as small pockets of Ukrainian troops in its industrial district continued to hold off a full capture of the city by Russian forces.
A resident walks near damaged buildings in Mariupol.
Key Facts
Speaking on national television, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko said 90 buses were ready to go inside the city and evacuate the women, children and elderly people if the arrangement with Russia holds.
Boichenko, who has left the city, noted that the agreement was only a preliminary one as around 100,000 civilians still remained trapped in the city.
Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, also announced the corridor agreement on Telegram noting that the planned evacuation will begin at around 2.00 p.m. local time.
Russian officials have yet to comment on the corridor but the Russian defense ministry once again issued a surrender ultimatum to Ukrainian fighters in the city with a new deadline of 2.00 p.m. local time Wednesday.
Previously, both sides have accused each other of violating these humanitarian corridors with Russian forces even being accused of deliberately targeting them.
Crucial Quote
“Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Mariupol, this is the area where we will focus our efforts today… The very difficult security situation means that changes may occur during the planned evacuation…We will do our best to make everything work properly,” Vereshchuk said in her statement.
Key Background
Despite the repeated “surrender-or-die” ultimatums issued to Ukrainian fighters in Mariupol by Russian forces since the start of this week, they have continued to defend pockets of the city. On Monday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy vowed that troops defending the city will “fight absolutely to the end.” The Russian defense ministry claims it has cleared Ukrainian forces from all urban areas of Mariupol and the only remaining troops remain holed up in the Azovstal steel works plant and its network of tunnels.
Big Number
10,000. That’s the minimum number of civilians who have been killed in Mariupol since Russia’s attack on the city, according to an estimate shared by Boychenko last week. However, he believes the true toll could be at least double that number.
Further Reading
Here’s Why Mariupol Is Such A Prized Target For Russia (Forbes)
Ukraine hopes to evacuate 6,000 women, children and elderly from Mariupol (Reuters)
Source: https://www.forbes.com/sites/siladityaray/2022/04/20/ukraine-plans-to-evacuate-6000-women-children-and-elderly-from-mariupol-after-agreement-with-russia/