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Bus Convoy Headed To Mariupol In New Attempt To Evacuate Ukrainian Civilians

By RFE/RL's Ukrainian Service March 31, 2022

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says a convoy of 45 buses is headed to the besieged city of Mariupol in an attempt to evacuate civilians trapped by weeks of heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

"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 Berdyansk," she said in video posted on Telegram.

"We are sending 45 buses to the Mariupol corridor," she added.

Russian military officials have said they are willing to adhere to a cease-fire from 0700 GMT on March 31 to allow for the opening of a humanitarian corridor, but several similar agreements have been reached in the past only to collapse before their implementation.

The Red Cross said in a statement on March 31 that the operation will bring aid to those still in Mariupol, as well as provide transport out of the city.

"All parties must agree to the exact terms. This operation is critical. Tens of thousands of lives depend on it," it said in a tweet.

The southern port city, home to some 430,000 people before the war, has seen intense fighting for weeks amid Russia's war on Ukraine. Russian attacks have struck a maternity hospital, fire department locations, cultural venues, and civilian homes.

Tens of thousands of civilians are said to be trapped in the city with no electricity and extremely limited food and water supplies.

On March 30, an aid warehouse for the International Committee of the Red Cross was hit by what Ukrainian authorities say was a Russian air strike even though the building's roof is clearly marked with the Red Cross symbol.

Russia launched its unprovoked attack on Ukraine on February 24.

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/mariupol-evacuation- bus-convoy/31779305.html

Copyright (c) 2022. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.