Ukraine claims that Russia is shelling even in the promised safe way
Ukraine says Russian forces are shelling the exit routes from Mariupol, agreed upon by both sides. The city was also reportedly shelled. That is why Russia has violated the ceasefire agreement, which is supposed to take effect from 8 am on Saturday. The southern coastal city has been under constant airstrikes for days.
"We are being completely destroyed," Vadim Boishenko, the mayor of the city of 450,000, told his telegram.
Mariupol officials said they were delaying plans to evacuate people safely. According to the plan, the roads were to be open for five hours. Officials have urged residents to take shelter in safe places.
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said in a video broadcast on Saturday that Russia's "heavy artillery" was also fired during a ceasefire in the southern city of Volnovakha, home to 21,000 people.
Russia's defense ministry has accused Ukraine's "nationalists" of trying to force civilians to flee Mariupol, according to Russia's state-run news agency RIA Novosti. They did not present any strong evidence in support of their claim.
Meanwhile, a day after the announcement that Russian forces were "increasingly brutal in Ukraine, including targeting civilians", US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken met with Polish Foreign Minister Jigniu Rau in Reszo on Saturday.
At a news conference after meeting with Poland's foreign minister, Blinken reiterated that the United States would "protect every inch of NATO territory" and announced that the Biden administration was preparing an additional ৠ2.75 billion in humanitarian aid for Ukrainian refugees.
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