In . – 04/18/2022 17:23 (act 04/18/2022 19:33)
Ukrainian appeal to Russia: Allow escape corridors from Mariupol. ©REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko (image of symbol)
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk appealed to Russia about Mariupol’s escape corridors.
She is calling on Russia to allow escape routes from Mariupol and the Azovstal steelworks in the port city. The remaining Ukrainian soldiers barricaded themselves there. Many civilians also reportedly fled the area. A passage for women, children and other civilians outside Azovstal must be created quickly, says Vereshchuk.
There are no escape runners on Monday
On Monday, as the day before, there were no escape corridors for civilians in the contested areas. “Due to security considerations, the decision was taken today not to open any humanitarian corridors,” Vereshchuk said earlier.
Ukraine: Situation in Mariupol ‘extremely difficult’
The situation in Mariupol is “extremely difficult”, Defense Ministry spokesman Olexander Motusyanyk said. However, the port city is still not completely in Russian hands. He goes on to say that Russian air strikes have increased by more than 50%. Increasingly, parts of the infrastructure are being targeted by attacks.