Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated Thursday about 100,000 individuals have been evacuated through humanitarian corridors over the previous two days.
“One of many important duties for us at this time was the group of humanitarian corridors,” Zelensky stated in a video tackle posted to Fb late Thursday evening. “Sumy, Trostyanets, Krasnopillya, Irpin, Bucha, Hostomel, Izium. Nearly 40,000 individuals have already been evacuated this present day. They got security eventually. In Poltava, Kyiv, Cherkasy, Zaporizhzhia, Dnipro, Lviv.”
He stated humanitarian help, meals and medication was delivered.
“We’re doing every little thing to save lots of our individuals within the cities that the enemy simply desires to destroy,” Zelensky stated.
Mariupol and Volnovakha, nonetheless, stay utterly blocked, he stated, including that regardless of Ukrainian officers’ finest efforts to make the hall work, “Russian troops didn’t stop hearth.” No matter this, Zelensky stated he nonetheless determined to ship a convoy of vans carrying meals, water and medication.
“However the invaders began a tank assault precisely within the space the place this hall was alleged to be. Hall of life. For the individuals of Mariupol,” the president stated.
Earlier on Thursday: Native authorities within the besieged Ukrainian metropolis of Mariupol stated Russian forces have begun dropping bombs on the “inexperienced hall” designated to evacuate Mariupol residents.
“Proper now, the air bombardment of Mariupol is underway,” stated Petro Andryushchenko, the adviser to the mayor of Mariupol.
“They did it consciously. They knew what they had been disrupting. They’ve a transparent order to carry Mariupol hostage, to torture it, to hold out fixed bombardment,” Zelensky stated.
He added: “As we speak they destroyed the constructing of the principle division of the State Emergency Service within the Donetsk area. Proper subsequent to this constructing was the place the place Mariupol residents had been to collect for evacuation”
Earlier within the day, the mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boychenko, additionally issued a livid video message condemning what he calls Russia’s “cynical and harmful battle in opposition to humanity” and stated each half-hour the town was invaded by Russian forces. The mayor stated humanitarian help can’t get by to Mariupol for the sixth day in a row.
Zelensky famous that the state would proceed attempting to convey Mariupol the help its individuals “so desperately want.”