“We don’t believe anyone, not a single pretty phrase,” says the Ukrainian president in response to Russian assurances that attacks will be reduced. Mariupol and Chernihiv appear to still be under fire.
Russia has announced a ceasefire in the port of Mariupol in southern Ukraine. The measure will take effect on Thursday at 10 am (9 am CEST) and should create the possibility of evacuating civilians through a humanitarian corridor, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Wednesday. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy was skeptical about Russian promises to reduce attacks in northern Ukraine.
In an interview with Ukrainian media on Thursday night, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Wereshchuk spoke of another attempt at Russian “manipulation”. Zelensky said in his speech, “We don’t believe anyone, not a single pretty phrase.” He was referring to an assurance given by Russian negotiators on Tuesday that Moscow would “radically” reduce its attacks on Kiev and Chernihiv in the north.
However, according to Ukrainian authorities, Chernihiv continued to be bombed. The Ukrainian General Staff said it expected even an “intensification” of Russian fire in the short term. Reporters from the AFP news agency also continued to report explosions from the direction of the Kiev suburb of Irpin.
Russian forces will ‘regroup’
Zelensky reiterated his army’s statements that Russian forces were just regrouping so they could strike harder in the Donbass region to the east. “We will not deliver anything. We will fight for every meter of our territory”, warned the president.
Further air strikes were reported in several cities in eastern Ukraine. According to the Ukrainian General Staff, the city of Kharkiv was bombed with artillery. The Ukrainian army regained control of a strategically important road from Kharkiv to Chuguyev. “Russian bodies are scattered everywhere,” a Ukrainian intelligence official told AFP.
Chernihiv still under fire
According to British military intelligence, the bombing of Chernihiv continues. Russian troops continued to hold positions east and west of Kiev, the British Defense Ministry said. “Presumably there will be fierce fighting on the outskirts of the city in the coming days.” Mariupol is also under fire. However, Ukrainian forces still have the center of the port city on the Sea of Azov under control.
Reunited after fleeing their hometown of Chernihiv. (c) REUTERS (Clodagh Kilcoyne)Meanwhile, US officials said Russian forces had begun to withdraw from the area around the decommissioned Chernobyl nuclear power plant. “We think they’re leaving, but I can’t say they’re all gone,” said a Pentagon official who asked to remain anonymous.
“For this humanitarian operation to be successful, we propose the direct involvement of representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),” said a Russian statement. The humanitarian corridor passes through the city of Berdyansk, which is under Russian control, to Zaporizhia, 250 kilometers away.
Did trading continue on Friday?
The Russian ministry asked the government in Kiev to confirm the “unconditional observance” of the ceasefire by sending a written notification to the Russian side and to UNHCR and the ICRC. Russia had already made several such announcements. However, evacuation efforts mostly failed, for which both sides blamed each other.
According to Ukrainian negotiator David Arachamia, talks between Ukraine and Russia on a diplomatic solution to the conflict will continue online on Friday. More recently, negotiators met face-to-face in Istanbul on Tuesday, without making a breakthrough.
(APA/dpa/AFP)