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Selenskyj: Russian troops reinforced in Mariupol

According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the situation in southern Ukraine and the eastern Donbass region remains extremely difficult. He reiterated last night that Russia is strengthening its forces near the besieged city of Mariupol. “There will still be fights. We still have to walk a very difficult path to get everything we want.”

Russian armored vehicles in Mariupol

Reuters/Alexander Ermochenko

For today, Moscow announced an evacuation campaign for the port city. A humanitarian corridor to Zaporizhia, 220 kilometers away, will be “reopened” at 10 am (local time, 9 am CEST), the Defense Ministry in Moscow said today. The move follows a “personal appeal” by German Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and French President Emmanuel Macron to Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin.

“To ensure the success of this humanitarian action, it is proposed that it be carried out with the direct participation of representatives of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC),” the statement said. The ICRC had previously said that it was ready to “manage” the Mariupol evacuation operation, provided it received assurances about the security situation.

City Commander: Better situation in Kiev

In Kiev, on the other hand, according to the city commander, the situation is likely to have eased a little. “Thanks to the firm defense and heroic actions of our troops, the situation around the city is improving,” General Mykola Schyrnov said in a published statement. However, fighting continues on the outskirts of the Ukrainian capital.

Schyrnow emphasized that civil infrastructure is being restored, affecting businesses and commercial and service facilities. “Ukrainian military and branches of the State Rescue Service are cleaning and demining the liberated areas,” Zhyrnov said. Despite the progress, he urged the population to exercise caution. Airborne warning signals must continue to be heeded.