The sea of human tragedy, crammed together on a railway platform, seems to stretch as far as the eye can see.
The mass of fleeing civilians occupied every inch of space in Kharkov train station – everyone desperately needed a place on the train from hell.
Mothers and families, young and old, they would fill ten crews several times over.
The weekend scene in Kharkiv plays out across Ukraine as thousands try to flee Russia’s barbaric onslaught.
Yesterday, the Kremlin proposed for the third time in a few days to open “humanitarian corridors” and allow civilians to leave major cities during a limited ceasefire.
A mass of fleeing civilians occupied every inch of space at the Kharkiv railway station – everyone desperately needed a place on the train from hell.
But his words were exposed as a cynical stunt when it was revealed that some routes lead Ukrainians straight to Russia, the very country behind all the death and destruction. Ukraine called the plan “immoral and unacceptable”, while British European Minister James Cleverley called it “nonsense”.
One supposedly safe passage from the besieged southern port city of Mariupol ran straight through a minefield.
Yesterday morning, Russia proposed six routes to allow civilians to leave Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and the capital Kyiv.
But Vladimir Putin’s forces continued to fire rockets at some cities even after the announcement, and heavy fighting raged in many places, indicating there would be no wider cessation of hostilities. About 2,000 people were able to leave the city of Irpen near Kiev, police said on Monday.
Yesterday morning, Russia proposed six routes for civilians to leave Mariupol, Kharkiv, Sumy and the capital Kyiv.
Elderly residents crossed a raging river on a rickety plank after the Ukrainian military blew up the bridge to slow down Russia’s advance.
But the refugees who tried to leave Mariupol found themselves in a difficult situation, as the road along which they were heading was mined.
Dominic Stillhart of the International Committee of the Red Cross told the BBC: “Unfortunately, we have only seen agreements in principle so far.
But they immediately broke down because they lacked precision.
“They lack… agreements about times, about roads, about whether people can go out or goods can be brought in.
“We have a team in Mariupol. They were ready on Sunday, despite the fact that it was not entirely clear what exactly they were talking about.
“As soon as they reached the first checkpoint, they realized that the road he had indicated was actually mined.”
Moscow announced the proposed withdrawal routes yesterday following a phone call between Putin and Emmanuel Macron on Sunday evening, with the Kremlin saying the move was taken after a “personal request” by the French president.
The previous two proposals for safe passage, made over the weekend, were rejected due to Russian bombing raids that killed innocent people trying to escape. In an address to his people early yesterday morning, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the occupiers are guilty of “premeditated murder” and “judgment day” awaits them.
“We will not forgive,” he said. “We won’t forget. We will punish all those who committed atrocities in this war. On our land. There will be no quiet place for you on this earth, except for the grave.
“It seems that everything that the Russian military has already done is still not enough for them. Not enough ruined destinies. Disfigured lives. They want to kill more.”
Moscow announced the proposed withdrawal routes yesterday following a phone call between Putin and Emmanuel Macron on Sunday evening, with the Kremlin saying the move was taken after a “personal request” by the French president.
But Mr Macron gave a furious response. “All this is not serious, this is moral and political cynicism, which I consider unacceptable,” he told the French television channel LCI.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky said that the invaders are guilty of “premeditated murder” and “judgment day” awaits them.
Promises to protect civilians just so they could flee towards Russia were “hypocritical,” he said, adding, “I don’t know many Ukrainians who want to go to Russia.”
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk has warned President Macron that he will face “humiliation” if he tries to continue any deals with the Kremlin. The Moscow authorities expected that the people of Kiev would go to Belarus, from where on February 24 Russia launched an invasion from the north, and the Kharkiv people would go to Russia.
The Kremlin said that those who go to Belarus will then be sent by plane to Russia.
Residents of Mariupol and Sumy were supposed to go to the east of Ukraine, and not to the west of Ukraine, where hundreds of thousands of people had already left to escape the fighting.
Ms. Vereshchuk said: “I hope that the President of France understands his name, and the sincere desire to help is actually used and manipulated by the Russian Federation.”
The UN Refugee Agency reported that about 1.7 million Ukrainians, mostly women and children, managed to escape to the west.
The Daily Mail, Mail on Sunday and MailOnline APPEALS OF REFUGEES IN UKRAINE
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