By Yaroslav Trofimov
Kyiv (Dow Jones) — An agreement between Russia and Ukraine to evacuate civilians from the besieged cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha collapsed on Saturday. Kyiv accused Moscow of violating the agreed ceasefire and resuming its attacks on residential areas. About 200,000 civilians from Mariupol and 15,000 from Volnovakha were to leave the cities in eastern Ukraine by 9 a.m., as agreed by the International Committee of the Red Cross.
But at 11:45 a.m. Russia resumed shelling Volnovakha with heavy weapons while continuing military operations on the route leading out of Mariupol, said Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk.
“We ask the Russian side to stop the shelling, return to the ceasefire and allow us to create humanitarian columns so that children, women and the elderly can leave the city,” she said. She also called on Russia to allow humanitarian aid such as food and essential medicines such as insulin into these cities.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov reiterated on Saturday that Moscow is not taking action against Ukrainian civilians despite ample evidence to the contrary, claiming that Kyiv is deliberately obstructing the evacuation to hold civilians hostage, according to Tass news agency. He added that Kyiv has not yet announced when Ukrainian representatives will meet the Russian delegation for the third round of ceasefire talks.
According to the United Nations International Organization for Migration, at least 1.25 million civilians have fled Ukraine since Russia invaded ten days ago. This is the biggest humanitarian crisis in Europe since the Second World War. Most people fled west to the European Union. Poland, which borders western Ukraine, has taken in 787,300 people since February 24, including more than 100,000 on Friday, according to the Polish Border Guard.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine, which US officials predicted would lead to the capture of the capital Kyiv within three days, met fierce Ukrainian resistance, which caused the Russians heavy losses in troops and equipment. The Ukrainian General Staff said on Saturday it was holding the line on most fronts and was launching a counteroffensive. To offset these setbacks, Russia has increasingly resorted to indiscriminate bombing and shelling of civilian areas, particularly Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol.
In Kherson, the only Ukrainian regional capital occupied by Russia during the conflict, large protests against the occupying forces erupted in the city’s central square on Saturday. The regional government building was draped in a giant Ukrainian flag, and the protesters, waving the flag, shouted “shame” to Russian troops, some of whom opened fire in the air to disperse the rally.
Ukrainian and Russian delegations will meet for the third round of ceasefire talks only if there is progress in implementing humanitarian corridors and other agreements reached at previous meetings, a Ukrainian negotiator said.
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(END) Dow Jones Newswires
March 05, 2022 09:27 ET (14:27 GMT)