Thousands of Ukrainians are currently trying with the last of their strength to escape the hell of war and to get to safety from Russian bombs. While the first civilians could be evacuated from Sumy in the north-east of the country, the situation in Mariupol in the south-east remained dramatic. The Red Cross reported “apocalyptic scenes”. NATO spoke of “war crimes”.
After several failed evacuation attempts, Russia had again announced a ceasefire for Tuesday and the establishment of escape routes for civilians from embattled cities in Ukraine. But only in the city of Sumy did the first evacuations actually begin. Around 9 a.m., dozens of buses with civilians had already left the city, which had been fought over for days. According to the regional administration, they should be taken to the town of Lochvyzja, 150 kilometers to the west.
In contrast, the situation in Mariupol, the strategically important port city on the Azov Sea, was dramatic. According to Ukrainian sources, the ceasefire promised by Russia was immediately broken. “Ceasefire violated! Russian forces are now shelling the humanitarian corridor,” Ukrainian Foreign Ministry spokesman Oleh Nikolenko wrote on Twitter. Russia countered, claiming that Ukrainian “nationalists” were blocking the evacuation.
“The situation is apocalyptic,” said spokesman for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Geneva, Ewan Watson. In Mariupol, all supplies ran out. The ICRC has delivered all stocks and is trying to bring supplies into the country in all possible ways. NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg was also downright shocked: “Targeting civilians is a war crime and it is completely unacceptable.”
“Not Ready to Surrender”
After Russia repeatedly offered talks and at the same time made tough conditions for them, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has now reacted. He was open in principle to talking about the status of the separatist areas in the east of the country and the Black Sea peninsula of Crimea annexed by Russia. However, Zelenskyy made it clear on the US broadcaster ABC that he would not respond to demands from Moscow to recognize the independence of the self-proclaimed “People’s Republics” and Russian rule over Crimea. “We can discuss and find a compromise on how these areas can continue,” he said. “I am ready for dialogue. But we are not ready for surrender.” Zelenskyj once again called on Putin to conduct direct negotiations.
All hopes are now pinned on tomorrow’s meeting between the foreign ministers from Kyiv and Moscow, Dmytro Kuleba and Sergey Lavrov, in Antalya, Turkey. The talks are to take place in a three-way format with Turkish Foreign Minister Cavusoglu. It is the first high-level ministerial meeting since the beginning of the war.
The struggle for a peaceful solution also continued at international level: in a joint video conference, Germany, France and China emphasized their willingness to find a diplomatic solution.
“Bombs on Our Minds”
The European Commission wants to punish the authors of targeted misinformation about the Ukraine war in the future. “I will propose a new mechanism that will allow us to sanction these malicious disinformation actors,” says EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell. Accordingly, the Kremlin and its mouthpieces are systematically spreading lies about the situation in Ukraine. For example, it is claimed that the Ukrainian military is bombing its own people in order to then blame Russia. In this war, according to Borrell, not only people would be bombed. “They also bomb their minds.”
Source: Nachrichten
