Ukrainian information: establishment of escape corridors impossible

Attacks on Ukrainian cities continue. In view of the catastrophic situation in Mariupol, the mayor is calling for the entire city to be evacuated. The establishment of escape corridors is currently apparently impossible.

According to information from Kyiv, due to the threat posed by Russian troops, no escape corridors can currently be set up to bring people out of embattled cities. There is intelligence information about possible “provocations” on the routes, said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. For weeks, Ukraine and Russia have accused each other of sabotaging the evacuation of civilians from particularly hard-fought areas.

Situation in Mariupol could deteriorate further

In the particularly hard-fought city of Mariupol, the mayor Wadym Boichenko has meanwhile called for a complete evacuation. Among other things, 160,000 residents are without electricity and a humanitarian catastrophe is imminent, he said. There are buses provided for an evacuation, but Russia has not promised free passage.

Those trapped in Mariupol continued “fighting for survival,” the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said on Twitter. “The humanitarian situation is catastrophic.” Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said it was still “impossible to bring food and medicine” into the city. “Russian forces bomb the humanitarian aid convoys, killing the drivers.”

The Ukrainian government fears that the situation in Mariupol and in the east of the country could deteriorate even further following the Russian announcement that it intends to focus on the “liberation of Donbass” in the Ukraine war. “This means potential or severe deterioration around Mariupol,” Presidential Advisor Arestovych said in a video message published on Telegram.

Ukraine accuses Russia of “inhumane tactics”.

The Ukrainian leadership accused the Russian military of “inhumane tactics”. These included the “partial or total blockade of humanitarian corridors, blockade of besieged cities,” President Zelenskyy’s adviser Mykhailo Podoliak wrote on Twitter. In addition, Russia is continuing “all-out rocket attacks” against Ukrainian cities. Mariupol, for example, is being carpet-bombed.

Air raids on other cities as well

The Russian army continued to bomb Ukrainian cities on Monday night. According to Ukrainian media reports, several heavy explosions shook the capital Kyiv, as well as Lutsk, Rivne and Kharkiv. According to the regional prosecutor’s office, seven people were killed by artillery fire near the city of Kharkiv, two of whom are said to be children. A fuel depot was hit in Lutsk in northwestern Ukraine. Air alerts had previously been raised in all regions of the country.

Different information on land gains

According to their own account, the Ukrainian troops have launched successful counterattacks against the Russian armed forces. In the vicinity of the city of Kharkiv in the east of the country, Russian troops were pushed out of several towns on Sunday, regional military chief Oleg Synegubov said on Telegram. “We are driving the occupiers back towards the border,” he said.

According to Ukrainian military information, there were also land gains near the capital Kyiv. Ukrainians may hope that the “enemy” can be “expelled” from the Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Kharkiv regions, said Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych.

At the same time, the Ukrainian general staff said in the morning that Russian troops around Kyiv would continue to try to push towards the city. In the northwest and east, the Ukrainian army is fending off attempts by Russian soldiers to take control of important roads and settlements, it said.

On Sunday, among other things, the battle line seemed to be moving away from the city of Mykolaiv in southern Ukraine, and the bombing of the city, which had been under siege by the Russian army for weeks, seemed to be easing. The information could not be independently verified.

conflicting parties as a source

Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.

Apparently missile replenishment in Belarus

According to Ukrainian military intelligence, Russia is apparently bringing new missiles to Belarus. In preparation for new rocket attacks on Ukraine, Russian launch pads in Belarus are being supplied with new projectiles. The rockets were intended for the units with the “Iskander” weapon system set up near Kalinkawichy, it said. According to Ukrainian information, Russia is also moving additional military units to the Ukrainian border.