It was “cynical” and “hypocritical” according to French President Macron and “a completely immoral story” in the words of Ukrainian President Zelensky. russian proposal to open six humanitarian corridors on Monday was almost immediately rejected. It was therefore hardly a plan to be taken seriously, primarily because four of the six proposed routes led to Russia or Belarus.
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According to the Russian plan, Ukrainian citizens who wanted to flee Kharkov, which had been heavily besieged by Russian soldiers, were able to find refuge in Belgorod, across the Russian border. Kiev residents were allowed to settle in Gomel, in the Belarus that President Putin helped launch his invasion. Routes to Russia and Ukraine would run from Sumy and Mariupol.
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The underlying message: we don’t care if there are many deaths in the future, we have offered civilians a chance to evacuate. According to a statement from the defense ministry in Moscow, Macron – who is in close contact with both sides – had insisted on the corridors in a telephone conversation with Putin. “I don’t know many Ukrainians who want to flee to Russia,” Macron said on Monday.
No water or electricity
In addition to the four cities mentioned, civilians were trapped in many more places. For example, in Irpin and other suburbs of Kiev, where there is heavy fighting. Residents are without water, electricity and heating. On Monday, hundreds of civilians managed to get from Irpin to Kiev, but their safety is relative. Residential areas in southern Mykolaiv are also shelled with artillery fire.
After the Ukrainian rejection of the corridors, shelling also continued on the proposed evacuation routes. In the afternoon, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry stated that Russia is making safe passage impossible for civilians there. Russia said “nationalists” are forcing citizens to stay.
The Russian evacuation plan could not be taken seriously for several reasons. The proposal appeared hours before it was due to take effect. Russia says the content was pre-shared with Ukraine, but there was clearly no agreement. The day before, the International Red Cross spoke to the parties through a press release still strict about the do’s and don’ts of corridors.
Failed evacuation
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The reason was the two failed evacuation of southern Mariupol, on Saturday and Sunday, after the parties to negotiations in Belarus had agreed in principle that they would establish humanitarian corridors. Mariupol, where the situation is so serious that the hospitals are without painkillers, would become the first city.
But both Saturday and Sunday, civilians had to return to their air raid shelters as evacuation routes came under renewed fire. “The failed attempts underscore the lack of a detailed, functioning agreement between the warring parties,” the Red Cross said.
For an effective corridor, the parties “must not only agree in principle, but also agree on the details,” the aid agency said. Detailed agreements were lacking.
The Red Cross can serve as an intermediary if the parties to the conflict wish to spare civilians. In this case, it ‘facilitated the dialogue’. The parties must make their own arrangements regarding the time of evacuation, the route and other logistics and are responsible for compliance.
Monday saw a new round of negotiations. Afterwards, the Ukrainian delegation reported “small positive” steps on the logistics of the evacuation, but otherwise there was “nothing that significantly improves the situation”.
A version of this article also appeared in NRC on the morning of March 8, 2022