The Mariupol City Council stated in their message that the evacuation of the population from Mariupol is postponed for security reasons since Russian troops continue to shell both Mariupol and its suburbs.
"Negotiations with the Russian Federation to establish a ceasefire and ensure a safe humanitarian corridor are underway. We ask all Mariupol residents to disperse and go to the shelters. We will post additional information about the evacuation soon. Police will also inform city residents." - says the message.
This information was also confirmed by the head of the Donetsk regional military administration Pavlo Kyrylenko.
As mentioned before, the organization of humanitarian corridors was the first issue on the agenda to agree with the Russian side. According to preliminary agreements, a ceasefire was to be established in the Donetsk region from 9:00 am to 11:00 am. The evacuation of the population was due to begin at 11:00 am.
However, Iryna Vereshchuk, the Minister for the Reintegration of Ukraine's Temporarily Occupied Territories, said almost immediately that Russian troops had begun advancing in the Donetsk region, using the ceasefire.