The International Committee of the Red Cross said it would try again to evacuate residents of war-torn Mariupol on Saturday, citing “impossible” conditions the day before.
Mariupol: This is what the Ukrainian city looks like today
Red Cross teams are on their way from Zaporizhia to Mariupol, a Washington Post spokesman said. According to the Ukrainian authorities, around 100,000 people are still trapped there.
- Ukrainian forces have reported that the Russian army has seized the city and blocked the access of humanitarian supplies.
- Ukrainian presidential aide Oleksiy Arestovych told national television that Ukrainians should prepare for “difficult fighting” in Mariupol and in the south and east of the country.
- Great Britain also warned of impending clashes in the second largest city of Kharkiv.
- Russia appears to be withdrawing troops stationed in the Kyiv area, while Ukrainian forces are slowly regaining control of villages east and north-west of the capital, according to the UK MoD.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called Russia’s withdrawal from the north “slow but noticeable”.
The United States will send more aid to Ukraine to confront Russia
The Pentagon late Friday announced a new $300 million security assistance package for Ukraine that will include drones, anti-drone systems and armored vehicles to help Ukrainian forces fight the Russian invasion.
- Zelenskyy declined to confirm or deny Ukraine’s role in an apparent attack on a fuel terminal in Belgorod, a Russian city north of Kharkiv.
- Moscow blamed Ukraine for an “escalation” that could damage the negotiations.
- The aid will be sent as part of the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative, a program that allows the United States to purchase weapons directly from manufacturers rather than ship weapons to Ukraine from its own stockpiles, Pentagon press secretary John Kirby said. on Friday.
- The latest package shows that aid to Ukraine is evolving after weeks of fighting as the United States and its partners learn more about Moscow’s offensive tactics and Kiev’s capabilities.
- The Pentagon said it had provided more than $1.6 billion in security aid since the Russian invasion.
- The United States will send armored Humvees, night vision goggles, thermal imaging systems, tactical secure communications systems, commercial satellite imaging services, medical supplies, and switchblade drones that crash into targets like kamikaze tanks.
Main News Source: The Washington Post