For the third consecutive day, Ukraine did not reach an agreement with Russia for the opening of humanitarian corridors

Ukrainian authorities reported on Tuesday that, for the third consecutive day, there is no agreement with Russia to open humanitarian corridors to facilitate the evacuation of civilians and the delivery of humanitarian aid in the midst of the war.

“Today, April 19, there will unfortunately be no humanitarian corridors,” said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk, who stressed that “intensive artillery attacks on the Donbas continue.”

Thus, he indicated in a message on his Telegram account that the authorities of the city of Mariupol have said that “the Russians refuse to create a corridor for civilians in the direction of Berdyansk”.

“We are continuing the difficult negotiations for the opening of humanitarian corridors in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions,” Vereshchuk said. The last evacuations took place on Saturday, when about 1,500 people used these corridors to leave several locations.

The war broke out on February 24 following the invasion order issued by Russian President Vladimir Putin, who days earlier had recognized the independence of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Lugansk republics, located in the east of the country and the epicenter of a conflict since 2014.

On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the next phase of the military campaign began, focusing on the “complete liberation” of the pro-Russian regions of Donetsk and Lugansk.

“The operation in eastern Ukraine is aimed, as already announced, at the complete liberation of the Donetsk and Lugansk republics. This operation will continue, the next phase of this special operation is beginning,” he said in an interview with the India Today television network, broadcast by his department. “And, it seems to me, now will be an important moment in this special operation,” added Lavrov, Russia's first senior official who publicly confirms that Russia's great battle for Donbas has begun.

For its part, the Russian Ministry of Defense called on all Ukrainian military personnel to “lay down their arms” immediately and issued an ultimatum to those defending the city of Mariupol to end their “senseless resistance”.

“Do not test your luck, make the right decision, that of ending military operations and lay down your arms,” said the Russian Defense Ministry, addressing Ukrainian forces. “We addressed all the military personnel of the Ukrainian army and foreign mercenaries: an unenviable fate awaits them due to the cynicism of the Kiev authorities,” the ministry insisted.

On the other hand, referring to those resisting in the Azovstal industrial zone of Mariupol, the Russian army promised them that they would “save their lives” if they surrender.

He specifically proposed a ceasefire starting at noon on Tuesday, so that between “14 (11 GMT) and 16 (13 GMT) Moscow time, all Ukrainian army units without exception and all foreign mercenaries leave (Azovstal) without weapons or ammunition.”

(With information from Europa Press, EFE and AFP)

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