The ceasefire for the evacuation of civilians in Mariupol and Volnovakha was apparently broken. But there is new hope on the Ukraine side. The news ticker.
- On February 24, Russia* attacked Ukraine* and launched offensives against several Ukrainian cities.
- The Russian military had ordered a ceasefire on humanitarian corridors in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol and in the city of Volnovakha. But the shelling seems to be continuing.
- Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj* has called for the defense of Mariupol in the southeast (see update from March 5, 1:15 p.m.).
- This News ticker on the military conflict in the Ukraine war is continuously updated. More on the background of the Ukraine crisis* here.
Update from March 5, 1:27 p.m.: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has called on Ukraine to observe a ceasefire around the port city of Mariupol and the city of Volnovakha. “We are counting on the clear implementation of this agreement, our military has done its job,” Lavrov said in Moscow on Saturday, according to the Interfax agency. “The most important thing is that people get out of the towns and villages through humanitarian corridors.”
The Russian Defense Ministry announced that the agreed humanitarian corridor had been shelled. Shots were also fired from Mariupol in the Donetsk region in south-eastern Ukraine at positions of Russian troops. In addition, a residential building in which up to 200 people could have stayed was blown up in the morning. The information could not be verified. According to Ukrainian information, however, the evacuation of people from Mariupol was initially postponed for security reasons, the Russian side is not adhering to the ceasefire.
Ukraine News: Zelenskyy calls for defense of Mariupol against Russia
Update from March 5, 1:15 p.m.: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has called for continued defense of the port city of Mariupol in south-eastern Ukraine. The humanitarian corridors for Mariupol and Volnovakha in the Donetsk region should be operational on Saturday to rescue women, children and the elderly, as well as deliver food and medicines to the embattled cities, Zelenskyy said in a video address on Saturday. “Anyone who needs help should be given the opportunity to come out,” the president said. “Anyone who wants to defend their city should continue the fight.” According to Ukrainian information, the evacuation of people from Mariupol was initially postponed for security reasons, and the Russian side is not adhering to the ceasefire.
The Ukrainian side is doing everything to keep the agreements on humanitarian corridors, said Zelenskyy. Then you have to see if you can make progress in the negotiation process. The Ukrainian authorities expect that more than 200,000 people will leave Mariupol during the ceasefire. For Wolnowacha they assumed 15,000 people. A ceasefire that lasted several hours came into force on Saturday morning. The Russian army did not achieve its goals, but almost 10,000 were killed, Zelenskyy said. The Armed Forces of Ukraine held the defenses in all key directions. Counterattacks were launched near Kharkiv. The information could not be independently verified.
Double damper for Putin? 66,000 Ukrainians return – Report on fleeing Russian soldiers
First report from March 5, 12:40 p.m.:
Kyiv/Moscow – day ten of the Ukraine war*. Ukrainian Defense Minister Olexii Reznikov said on Twitter on Saturday that so far more than 66,000 Ukrainians have returned to their country to fight against Russia. “So many men have returned from abroad at this moment to defend their country against the Horde,” Reznikov tweeted. “That’s another twelve combat brigades and motivated brigades! Ukrainians, we are invincible.”
In Mariupol, Russian troops are apparently supposed to continue shelling the Ukrainian city despite the ordered fire stop. “The Russians continue to bombard us and use their artillery. It’s crazy,” the deputy mayor of Mariupol told the BBC. “There is no ceasefire in Mariupol, not even along the entire route. Our civilians are ready to flee, but they cannot escape under fire,” it said.
In the Ukraine war, a ceasefire agreed by both sides came into force for the first time on Saturday. It should open a humanitarian corridor in the region around the city of Mariupol, both Russia and Ukraine confirmed. The mayor of Mariupol, Vadym Boichenko, had previously spoken of a blockade of the city with 440,000 people and relentless Russian attacks. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the humanitarian corridor should open up the possibility for civilians to escape. According to Ukrainian estimates, up to 200,000 people could leave the city, i.e. almost every second person.
Ukraine war: numerous returnees fight against Russia – it is “fought bitterly”
According to the Ukrainian military, it is still fighting heavy battles with Russian troops. “Fierce fighting is going on to liberate Ukrainian cities from the Russian occupiers,” said the army’s morning report published in Kyiv on Saturday. Regions and cities were not named. The military claimed that Russian soldiers were “demoralized.” They would flee, leaving their weapons behind. This information could not be independently verified.
According to the authorities, Saturday night was “quiet” in the capital Kyiv. “The situation is under control.” The supply of electricity and water is working. Public transport resumed operations in the morning. Russia began its war against neighboring Ukraine on February 24. (dpa/aka) *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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