Residents of two Ukrainian cities encircled by Russian forces, including the important port city of Mariupol, were allowed to go on Saturday, according to Russia’s defense ministry.
“The Russian side declares a regime of silence and opens humanitarian corridors for the escape of people from Mariupol and Volnovakha starting at 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) today,” it stated.
According to Russian news outlets, the ministry stated that the placement of the humanitarian corridors and exit ports had been decided in consultation with Ukrainian officials. Russian forces have been operating in Ukraine since February 24.
Mariupol’s mayor, Vadim Boychenko, stated Saturday that the city was under “blockade” and that humanitarian corridors were needed. The town was believed to be besieged by pro-Russian separatist forces and the Russian military.
Mariupol, a strategically vital port city on the Azov Sea with a population of over 450,000 people, is a major port city with important maritime access, and its conquest could allow Moscow’s troops from the annexed Crimean peninsula to unite with separatist-controlled Donbas forces.
Volnovakha is a 20,000-person village on Ukraine’s old frontline with Russian-backed separatists, around 60 kilometers (38 miles) from separatist-controlled Donetsk, the regional capital.
