President Volodymyr Zelenskyy emphasized that the Ukrainian side is ready to ensure a regime of silence for evacuating residents of cities under fire from Russia.
He stated this in a video message.
The President noted that on Wednesday, 16 March 2022, the humanitarian corridors did not function because the Russian military did not stop shelling and did not guarantee safety.
"We are ready to ensure silence. We are ready to take people out and send humanitarian aid. But we cannot put people to die on the road. Since there is no war crime for the Russian military, they would not have committed," Zelenskyy said.
He noted that more than 6,000 Mariupol residents were evacuated despite the Russian shelling.
"We are taking Mariupol residents who managed to escape to Berdyansk, Zaporizhzhia. More than 6,000 Mariupol residents have been transported today; more than 2,000 are children. However, the Russian military tried to disrupt this process as well - they opened mortar fire on the area between Vasylivka and Kamianske. Only miraculously, no one was killed. Five Ukrainians, unfortunately, were injured. Among them - two children, "- said Zelenskyy.
Ukraine did not receive a response from the International Committee of the Red Cross on opening humanitarian corridors on 16 March 2022.