Mayor Vadym Boichenko made an urgent appeal on Thursday to quickly evacuate residents of the city, which has been shelled by the Russian army for weeks. “The more than 100 thousand residents who remain are praying to be saved,” Boichenko said. ‘A large-scale evacuation is necessary.’
The Ukrainian government confirms that evacuation via the Sea of Azov is being considered as a serious option. Turkey, which has previously offered to assist with an evacuation by sea, discussed the issue with Russia on Thursday. Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stressed in a telephone conversation the “urgency of the safe evacuation of civilians, especially in Mariupol, by land or sea.” Ankara has been trying to mediate between Ukraine and Russia for weeks to end the war.
Akar telephoned Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov on Friday to discuss evacuation with ships. The Turkish minister emphasized last week that Ankara is ready to pick up civilians and injured people with ships. Since then, feverish consultations have been held with the warring parties to get such a sea evacuation off the ground, but it has not yet led to any results.
Turkish Defense Minister Akar to his Russian counterpart Shoigu:
– Emphasises importance of immediate ceasefire to assist diplomatic solution, urgency of safe evacuation of civilians via land/sea, especially in Mariupol
– We will continue to do our part to ensure peace in region pic.twitter.com/kjbFmqTAUd— TRT World Now (@TRTWorldNow) Apr 7, 2022
Dead and wounded
If ships can dock in the port, the evacuation of civilians in Mariupol can be tackled on a larger scale. In recent weeks residents have been able to escape the port city by road via ‘humanitarian corridors’, but this has been increasingly difficult due to the fighting. The Russian army also showed unwillingness to declare a long-term ceasefire in order to allow a large-scale evacuation. Since the invasion, according to the city government, about 5,000 have been killed in the city.
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky said earlier this week that he had reached an agreement with Turkey to get the injured and killed in Mariupol out of the city by ships. They should be taken to the Ukrainian port city of Berdyansk, about 70 kilometers away. According to Zelensky, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s approval is awaited: ‘We are waiting for Putin’s approval. Everything depends on him.’
The Turkish government is also trying to negotiate a ceasefire so that food, water and other humanitarian supplies can be brought into the city. Ankara has become the main mediator between Ukraine and Russia since the start of the war. Turkey has good relations with both countries. Putin said in a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan last month that he was prepared in principle to discuss the possibility of a peace agreement with Zelensky.