On the 55th day of the siege of Mariupol, the International Committee of the Red Cross announced the need for an immediate humanitarian corridor and confirmed the readiness of its employees to assist in a safe exit of people from “Azovsteel”.
The statement of the Red Cross from April 24 contains the following: “The International Committee of the Red Cross is deeply concerned with the situation in Mariupol, which citizens desperately require help. The urgent importance is to establish free humanitarian access to the city to arrange a safe exit for the thousands of civilians and hundreds of injured from the city and the territory of “Azovsteel”.
The organization states, that from February they provide aid to civilians in need in Mariupol and other cities. The Red Cross asked for the establishment of a safe exit for civilians from these regions multiple times. They also asked for the possibility to deliver humanitarian aid.
The Red Cross reported that they were ready to assist sides of the conflict with the negotiation of practical agreements to set up evacuation.
On April 24, the deputy head of the Azov Regiment Sviatoslav Palamar made a video appeal to the world community. He asked the whole civilized world to perform everything possible to ensure that soldiers who had heroically defended Mariupol in siege would be able to tell their stories to relatives and visit the tombs of fallen friends.
According to the adviser of the Head of the President’s Office Mykhailo Podoliak, russia continues to assault the “Azovsteel” plant in Mariupol on Easter Day.
On April 24, the Head of the President’s Office Andriy Ermak reported that russia failed to establish full control over Mariupol. He said that the military command had constant direct contact with Ukrainian soldiers in the city.