Russia declared a new ceasefire for the evacuation of civilian refugees at the Azovstal metallurgical plant from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol. However, the country led by President Volodimir Zelensky denied having reached an agreement with Moscow and asked the United Nations to be the “initiator and guarantor” of any such agreement. In the military field, Russia launched attacks on railway facilities in western Ukraine that left five dead and 18 wounded. Meanwhile the authorities of the Russian city of Belgorodborder with Ukraine, they accused kyiv of having bombed a village and affirmed that the attack left two civilians injured and affected several houses.
“No obstacles” for the exit of civilians
“The Russian Federation publicly and officially declares that there is no obstacle for civilians to leave Azovstalexcept for the decision of the kyiv authorities themselves and the commanders of nationalist formations to retain civilians as a human shield,” said Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center.
The ceasefire came into force at 11 am local time, but the military statement did not specify when it would expire. Units of the Russian Armed Forces and militias of the People’s Republic of Donetsk they promised to withdraw a reasonable distance and allow the evacuation of civilians “in whatever direction they choose.”
Russiawho highlighted that the humanitarian corridor has been open 24 hours a day for more than a month, demanded that the Ukrainian authorities “immediately order the commanders of the nationalist formations to release them”. The statement from the Russian authorities announced that the ceasefire announcement to allow the evacuation would be read every 30 minutes by loudspeakers so that it could be heard inside the plant.
“The layout of the Ukrainian side to start the humanitarian operation must be confirmed with the display of white flags on the perimeter or at least in some sectors of Azovstal,” Mizintsev explained.
ukrainian rejection
As on previous occasions Iryna VereshchukUkrainian deputy prime minister, acknowledged shortly after that both sides “unfortunately” had not reached an agreement. Vereshchuk stressed that a humanitarian corridor unilaterally announced by one of the warring parties cannot be considered safe for the evacuees.
“This would be possible to believe if the Russians had not sabotaged the humanitarian corridors on many occasions,” said the Ukrainian deputy, who stated that kyiv asked UN Secretary General António Guterres to become the initiator and guarantor of the corridor that allows the safe evacuation of civilians from Azovstal, the last bastion of the Ukrainian resistance in the port bathed by the Sea of Azov.
Attacks on train stations
Within a few days, Russia positioned its troops near kyiv, which bombarded military and civilian sites for several weeks. Moscow withdrew these troops at the end of March and announced a campaign to “liberate” Donbass, a majority Russian-speaking region bordering Russia.
The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that its air force attacked 82 military targets., including four command posts and two oil depots. They also claim to have hit 27 targets with high-precision missiles. For its part, the Ukrainian ministry claimed that Russia is attacking infrastructure and supply lines for military aid from its Western partners.
This Monday, Russia directed its fire towards other parts of Ukraine, hitting targets far from Donbass with missiles and air strikes, although with the apparent goal of disrupting the movement of supplies and fuel needed by Ukrainian troops on the eastern front. Director of Ukrainian Railways Oleksandre Kamyshin said on Telegram that Five railway stations in central and western Ukraine were hit by Russian fire.
Authorities in the central province of Vinnytsia, in west-central Ukraine, said that five people were killed and 18 wounded in attacks on railway facilities near two towns. Russia also destroyed an oil refinery and several fuel depots in the central Ukrainian city of Kremenchuk.
bombing a russian village
While, a large fire was reported at a fuel depot in the Russian city of Bryansk, 100 kilometers from the Ukrainian border, the Russian Emergencies Ministry said. also this monday Viacheslav Gladkovgovernor of the Russian region of Belgorodborder with Ukraine, accused Ukraine of bombing a village.
“Those affected are a man injured in the hand and a woman who was hit in the neck. There is damage to residential buildings. The magnitude will be assessed after a house-to-house review. All that was destroyed will be rebuilt“, assured Gladkov.
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