In what could be a turning point in the war, the strategic port of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine is subjected to a “siege” and “violent” attacks by the Russian army, according to the city’s president, Vadim Boychenko, who called for the establishment of a humanitarian corridor. The Russian forces declared a ceasefire to evacuate civilians from the city of Mariupol.
At about midnight local time, Boychenko said in a message on the “Telegram” account of the city of about 450,000 people on the Sea of Azov: “We are currently looking for solutions to humanitarian problems and all possible ways to get Mariupol out of the siege.”
He added that the priority is to reach a “cease-fire so that we can restore critical infrastructure and establish a humanitarian corridor to bring food and medicine into the city.”
The capture of Mariupol would constitute an important turning point in the framework of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, as this would allow the establishment of a link between the Russian forces coming from the Russian annexed Crimea, and the separatist and Russian forces in the Donbass.
On Thursday, the mayor of the city of Mariupol accused the Russian forces and forces loyal to them of seeking to besiege the city, prevent evacuations and supply the coastal city.
“They destroyed bridges and destroyed trains to prevent us from taking out women, children and the elderly. They are preventing us from getting supplies. They are trying to impose a siege,” Boychenko wrote on Telegram.
The head of the Russian-speaking city also expressed outrage at the Russian justification for its invasion, which is to “rescue” the Russian-speaking population from the alleged Ukrainian “genocide”.
ukrainian army
The Ukrainian army announced, on Saturday, that it is achieving “successes” on the ground but “cannot talk about them”, days after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
“Unfortunately, we cannot talk about all our successes so far so as not to disrupt the plan,” the Ukrainian news agency quoted the Army General Staff as saying.
And the authority added: “But believe us, everything will be clear in time. Together we will win. Our fight continues.”
The General Staff said that the Ukrainian forces were launching fierce counterattacks, in order to regain the territories controlled by the Russian forces.
And she continued: “With active combat operations, it is not only the units of the Ukrainian army that inflict losses on the enemy, but also ordinary, unarmed civilians, who show the occupiers (Russian forces) their position, causing psychological defeat.”
The authority indicated that the Russian forces are “disappointed”, with their soldiers and officers continuing to “surrender or flee, leaving behind their weapons and equipment.”
Since the start of the invasion, the Ukrainian side has broadcast news about the army’s steadfastness in the face of the Russians, and its ability to inflict losses on Russian forces at the level of soldiers and equipment, and capture dozens of them.
In the context of the information competition between the two parties, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed, on Friday, a bill that provides for up to 15 years in prison for anyone who publishes false news or information that contradicts the government’s approach to the invasion, after it was ratified by Parliament.