Bus Convoy Headed To Mariupol In New Attempt To Evacuate Ukrainian Civilians

[Rogue Valley]

Bus Convoy Headed To Mariupol In New Attempt To Evacuate Ukrainian Civilians

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says a convoy of 45 buses is headed to the besieged city of Mariupol in an attempt to evacuate civilians trapped by weeks of heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.

www.rferl.org

3.31.22
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk says a convoy of 45 buses is headed to the besieged city of Mariupol in an attempt to evacuate civilians trapped by weeks of heavy fighting between Russian and Ukrainian troops.
"Tonight, we received a message from the International Red Cross Committee that the Russian Federation confirms its readiness to open access for the humanitarian convoy to the city of Mariupol with transit through the city of Berdyansk," she said in video posted on Telegram. "We are sending 45 buses to the Mariupol corridor," she added.

Russian military officials have said they are willing to adhere to a cease-fire from 0700 GMT on March 31 to allow for the opening of a humanitarian corridor, but several similar agreements have been reached in the past only to collapse before their implementation. The Red Cross said in a statement on March 31 that the operation will bring aid to those still in Mariupol, as well as provide transport out of the city. "All parties must agree to the exact terms. This operation is critical. Tens of thousands of lives depend on it," it said in a tweet.

The Russian military has broken all previous agreements to allow a humanitarian corridor's out of the destroyed city of Mariupol.