Red Cross team sent to help 170,000 stranded civilians in Mariupol is ‘forced to turn around’
Red Cross team sent to help 170,000 stranded civilians in Mariupol is ‘forced to turn around’ from the Ukrainian port city – which has been under Russian bombardment for weeks
A Red Cross team sent to civilians in Mariupol has been ‘forced to turn around’Officials hoped Mariupol ceasefire would last for planned civilian evacuation They were due to deliver essential supplies last night to families hiding for weeksThere was relentless bombing with no running water access, power or fresh food
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A Red Cross team sent to help 170,000 stranded civilians in Mariupol has been ‘forced to turn around’.
The Ukrainian port city has been under Russian bombardment for weeks and officials were holding their breath that a ceasefire from 10am local time yesterday would last for the planned evacuation today.
The Red Cross said a team sent to help evacuate thousands of civilians from Mariupol on Friday had been forced to turn around but would try again on Saturday.
A man walks past a burnt armoured personnel carrier near buildings destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
Service members of pro-Russian troops sit atop of an armoured vehicle, which moves along a street in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
Local resident Marina Sidorenko, 83, shows an apartment building burnt-out in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
A bus carries internally displaced people from Mariupol and Berdiansk to a refugee centre in Zaporizhia, Ukraine, Friday, April 1
Russia agreed a ceasefire from 10am local time yesterday and officials were holding their breath that it will last for the planned evacuation today. Evacuees from the region are pictured above yesterday
A view shows the building of a theatre destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
Local residents are seen in front of an apartment building destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 31
A view shows a road and buildings damaged in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
People walk along a street near residential buildings heavily damaged in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
A boy looks at a destroyed Russian tank after recent battles in Bucha, close to Kyiv, Ukraine, Friday, April 1
A man rides a bicycle near residential buildings destroyed in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) said its team of three cars and nine staff that had been heading to the besieged Ukrainian port city had been forced to turn back ‘after arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed’.
The team ‘did not reach Mariupol or facilitate the safe passage of civilians today,’ the ICRC said in a statement, adding that they had returned to Zaporizhzhia, more than 120 miles away.
The ICRC said: ‘They will try again on Saturday to facilitate the safe passage of civilians from Mariupol.’
Men walk past a car damaged in the course of the war, in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
Marina Sidorenko, 83, and other local residents sit around a fire on the territory of a church in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
Local resident Marina Sidorenko, 83, shows her apartment in a multi-storey building burnt-out in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
Local resident and pensioner Valentina Popyi, 75, who seeks refuge in a children’s home damaged in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict, speaks with neighbours in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
Local resident and accountant Tatyana Velichko, 60, who seeks refuge in a children’s home damaged in the course of Ukraine-Russia conflict, cooks food in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 1
A close up of the extensive damage to the Mariupol theatre and nearby buildings
The aftermath of the airstrike on the Mariupol Drama Theatre, in Mariupol southern Ukraine
It stressed that ‘for the operation to succeed, it is critical that the parties respect the agreements and provide the necessary conditions and security guarantees.’
The ICRC had planned for its team to lead a convoy out of the city, which has been under intense Russian bombardment for weeks.
Previous attempts to evacuate residents have collapsed, though some have made the dangerous dash to freedom alone.
An estimated 170,000 people remain trapped in the southeastern city, with many left in the cold without food.
A total of 6,266 people were evacuated from Ukrainian cities through humanitarian corridors on Friday, a senior government official said.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, deputy head of the president’s office, said in an online post that 3,071 people had left the besieged city of Mariupol.
Russian forces have seized 14 tonnes of food and medical supplies destined for the besieged city of Mariupol, Kyiv has said. Pictured: Evacuees from Mariupol region arrive at reception centre, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues, in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, March 31, 2022
Two young boys are seen on an evacuation bus that arrived at reception centre in Zaporizhzhia, Ukraine, March 31, 2022, as Russia’s invasion of Ukraine continues
Local residents cook food outside an apartment building damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 30, 2022
Local residents carry supplies while walking past an apartment building damaged during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 31, 2022
ICRC spokesman Ewan Watson had warned earlier Friday that it was not certain the evacuations would be able to go ahead as planned.
‘If and when it does happen, the ICRC role as a neutral intermediary will be to lead the convoy out from Mariupol to another city in Ukraine,’ he told reporters in Geneva.
‘We’re unable to confirm which city at the moment. This is something the parties must agree to.’
The ICRC would use their vehicles as a humanitarian protection marker to remind all sides of the non-military nature of the operation, he said.
Local resident Pavel, 42, stands next to the grave of his friend Igor, who was killed by shelling while they were riding together in a car during Ukraine-Russia conflict, in a residential area in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine March 30, 2022
Drone footage taken over the city shows the devastating trail of destruction wrought by Putin
Homes, administrative buildings and cultural landmarks have all been shelled in the brutal campaign
Thousands of people have died in Mariupol since the city was subjected to horrific bombardment, and the theatre has been completely destroyed (pictured)
BEFORE: A satellite image shows home and buildings in Mariupol in June last year before the Russian invasion
AFTER: A photo taken on Tuesday shows the scale of devastation on the port city wrought by Putin’s army
The plan on Friday had been for a total of 54 buses, and many more civilian vehicles, containing thousands of people seeking to flee the city, to take part in the convoy, Mr Watson said.
They were due to deliver essential supplies last night to families who have been hiding in basements for weeks under relentless bombing with no access to running water, power or fresh food.
The city was home to 450,000 people before war broke out, of which 140,000 managed to flee before the Russian siege began in February. It is feared 5,000 civilians have been killed and thousands more ‘abducted’ to Russian cities.
No official humanitarian buses have so far managed to get people out, but many have escaped in their cars – or even on foot – often under fire.
Russian forces struck a Red Cross facility in Mariupol but no staff were inside after it was evacuated
The refugees have told horror stories of bodies lining the streets and families forced to kill their dogs for food.
Vladimir Putin has made clear the bombing will continue after the humanitarian operation, insisting that the bombardment will only stop once all Ukrainian troops surrender.
Much of the urban landscape has now been reduced to rubble, with tens of thousands of civilians trapped inside with little food, water or medicine.
The city would give Moscow access to a warm sea port and allow his forces to consolidate their gains in east Ukraine.
Mr Watson added: ‘To start leading civilians out at the top of that convoy, we will need to have assurances that the route we are taking is safe.
‘We are running out of adjectives to describe the horrors that residents in Mariupol have suffered. The situation is horrendous and deteriorating.
‘It’s now a humanitarian imperative that people be allowed to leave and aid supplies be allowed in.’
However, the ICRC said it had not received permission to bring aid into Mariupol on Friday to help civilians still surviving in the city.
The organisation had two trucks filled with food, medicine and relief items but they remained behind in Zaporizhzhia.
‘Time is running out for the people of Mariupol. They are desperately in need of assistance,’ said Watson.
