Russian Forces Confiscate 14 Tons of Food and Medication from Fleeing Civilians – After humanitarian corridors were repeatedly sabotaged by Russian troops, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vershchuk revealed that thousands of citizens left occupied regions of Ukraine on Thursday.
Vershchuk said that 1,458 people fled Zaporizhzhia in their own vehicles. 631 of those civilians came from Mariupol, while the remaining 827 came from Berdiansk, Huliapole, Vasylivka, Polohy, Melitopol and Enerhodar.
The government minister also said that as dozens of buses were headed to Berdiansk on Thursday, as part of a long journey to rescue civilians stuck in the besieged city of Mariupol, Russian forces blocked the convoy. Another convoy of buses headed to Melitopol was also blocked by Russian forces, with 12 buses full of humanitarian aid, food, and other supplies that were ransacked and confiscated by Russian troops.
“600 people came out from (Berdiansk) to the buses and tomorrow morning should leave for Zaporizhzhia. Over 30 buses are staying at the entrance to Berdiansk city (in advance of going on to) Mariupol and (then back to) Berdiansk (to finally deliver) residents to Zaporizhzhia,” Vereshchuk said.
Vereschuk said that negotiations are underway for the buses to be returned and for Melitopol residents who were meant to board the buses to be allowed to evacuated later this week.
Russia Promises to Reopen Evacuation Corridors Today in Ukraine
Russia is expected to reopen the evacuation corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia today after French and German official intervened. The corridor has been repeatedly targeted by Russian missiles since it was agreed over three weeks ago.
A statement from the Russian Ministry of Defense said that the corridor would be reopened in Ukraine “at the personal requests of the President of France E. Macron and the Federal Chancellor of Germany O. Scholz to the President of the Russian Federation V. Putin from 10:00 (Moscow time( on April 1, 2022.”
Whether or not the Russians will honor the opening of humanitarian corridors remains to be seen. On March 26, Vereshchuk said that an agreement had been reached to open 10 humanitarian corridors on Saturday to evacuate Ukrainian citizens stranded in bombarded towns and cities, but Russian troops soon blocked buses at checkpoints in the city of Mariupol.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
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