Ukraine war: Ukraine sends buses to Mariupol for rescue effort

[muriel_volestrangler]

Source: BBC

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said a convoy of 45 Ukrainian buses was on its way to the besieged southern city.

She said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) had confirmed that Russia had agreed to open a humanitarian corridor to Mariupol.
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Earlier, the Russian defence ministry said the United Nations refugee agency and the Red Cross would assist in the evacuation of civilians, which would begin at 10:00 local time (08:00 BST).

It said a ceasefire would allow people to travel westwards to Zaporizhzhia via the Russian-controlled port of Berdyansk.

A spokesperson for the ICRC said its teams were ready to help get civilians out of Mariupol from Friday, but only if all parties agreed on the terms.

Read more: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-60938429

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From The Guardian:

Seventeen buses have already left for Mariupol from Zaporizhzhia, around 220 kilometres (136 miles) to the north-west

“Tonight, we received a message from the International Red Cross Committee that the Russian Federation confirms its readiness to open access for the humanitarian convoy to the city of Mariupol with transit through the city of Berdiansk,” she said in video posted on Telegram. “We are sending 45 buses to the Mariupol corridor.”

Agence France-Presse report that another 28 were waiting for authorisation to pass the Russian checkpoint in Vasylivka, near Zaporizhzhia.

“We will do everything possible to ensure that buses arrive in Mariupol today and pick up people who have not yet been able to get out of the city,” Vereschuk said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/live/2022/mar/31/russia-ukraine-war-latest-news-ukraine-braces-for-attacks-in-east-us-says-putin-misled-by-advisers-live?page=with:block-62455dc08f083888e9f4a2ff-pinned#block-62455dc08f083888e9f4a2ff-pinned

[Lovie777]

1. Here's hoping that the Russians don't start shooting them . . .

I've read reports that some Russian soldiers are retaliating against their own military. Here's another hope that there is enough of them to defeat the Russian forces in Mariupol and Ukraine can re-capture the city.

[muriel_volestrangler]

2. Buses rescue 2,000 Mariupol refugees but Russia blocking aid, says Ukraine

A group of 2,000 people have made it to safety from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, as the success of the wider rescue operation for more than 100,000 trapped civilians still hangs in the balance.

The 42-strong convoy of buses organised by the Ukrainian government and escorted by the Red Cross headed from the nearby Russian-occupied city of Berdiansk to the Ukrainian-held city of Zaporizhzhia on Friday afternoon, according to the Mariupol city council’s channel on the messaging app Telegram.

Russian forces allowed the vehicles to pass, in what represented a small breakthrough after the failure of several previous evacuation attempts. Those onboard the buses had made it out of Mariupol to Berdiansk on their own, after which they were allowed to leave Russian-controlled territory. A further 631 people managed to flee Mariupol in private cars on Thursday night, the Ukrainian government said.
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The Kyiv authorities reiterated on Friday that no aid or evacuation convoys had been allowed to reach Mariupol itself, despite reassurances from Russia on a limited ceasefire in the area, and it remained dangerous for the city’s residents to try to leave without assistance. Russian forces also seized 14 tons of food and medical supplies headed for Mariupol, the deputy prime minister Iryna Vereshchuk said.

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/apr/01/refugee-convoy-makes-it-out-of-mariupol-ukraine