Ukraine said Russia is ready to open a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol and the Red Cross is preparing the evacuation

The Ukrainian authorities said on Thursday that Russia has confirmed to the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) its readiness to allow the opening of a humanitarian corridor from the city of Mariupol (south-east of the country), hours after Moscow showed its willingness to decree a ceasefire to allow the exit of people of the locality, besieged for weeks.

The Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine, Irina Vereshchuk, has indicated that Kiev “received a message from the ICRC during the night that Russia confirms its readiness to allow access by a humanitarian convoy to Mariupol, in transit through the city of Berdyansk,” according to Ukrainian news agency Ukrinform.

He explained that a total of 45 buses have started their journey to Mariupol and stressed that the Ukrainian authorities “will do everything possible to ensure that they arrive and pick up people who has not yet been able to leave the city.”

Tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped in the port of Mariupol under persistent Russian bombardment, with little food, lack of water and medicine, and previous attempts to open a humanitarian corridor failed, despite international pressure.

Vereshchuk also reported that for today two humanitarian corridors have been agreed, one of which will allow the evacuation of people from Melitopol. “On the way back to Zaporiyia, people with their own vehicles will be able to join the humanitarian columns from Mariupol and Melitopol,” he said.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced on Wednesday a ceasefire for Thursday and the opening of evacuation corridors for civilians, who have been trapped in the city for weeks, bombed by Russian forces.

For its part, the Red Cross noted that it is carrying out preparations to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians from Mariupol. “Our teams are traveling right now with pre-positioned aid and medical supplies to be prepared to facilitate the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol,” the agency said in a brief statement.

“For logistical and security reasons, we will be prepared tomorrow to lead safe passage operations, always taking into account that the parties agree on the exact terms, including the route, the time of start and the duration,” he said. “It is of desperate importance that this operation take place. The lives of tens of thousands of people in Mariupol depend on it.”

“Civilians are making the life-and-death decision to flee when there is no ceasefire or other agreements in place that allow them to leave safely,” spokesman Ewan Watson told reporters on Tuesday. “Time is running out for civilians in Mariupol and other areas of the front who have been without humanitarian assistance for weeks. The military on the ground must provide civilians and humanitarian organizations with security guarantees and practical arrangements to allow aid to enter and, for those who wish, safe evacuation.”

Hours earlier, Russia had shown its intention to declare a ceasefire in the besieged city to evacuate civilians through humanitarian corridors starting at 10 a.m. (local time). “The Russian Armed Forces declare, exclusively for humanitarian purposes, a ceasefire on 31 March starting at 10 a.m. (local time),” said the head of the Russian National Defence Control Centre, Mikhail Mizintsev.

(With information from Europa Press)

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