Ukrainian authorities on Friday reported limited success in evacuating Ukrainians from the worst-hit regions.
Around Kyiv, volunteers and local officials helped thousands of people escape from the worst-affected districts in the north and west of the city.
The head of the Kyiv regional administration, Oleksiy Kuleba, said that despite heavy outgoing and incoming fires, more than 22,000 people were evacuated after three days from the Vorzel, Hostomel, Buka and Irpin districts, all of which have seen widespread destruction and lightning. and without water. ,
“On Saturday, the administration is making new routes to reach those cities where we have not yet reached to evacuate people,” Kuleba said.
Chief among them is the city of Borodionka – about 25 kilometers (15 mi) northeast of Kyiv. On Friday, fire broke out again as Russian forces continued to attempt to blockade the capital from the north.
Meanwhile, Kharkiv government Oleh Sinyubov said efforts to evacuate more people from the city of Izium had been “obstructed by Russian occupiers”. in telegram post,
“We prepared 20 buses and humanitarian aid,” he said, adding that a “green corridor” had been agreed and arranged, but was never launched due to shelling by the occupiers.
The buses were fired upon and barely overturned and were able to return safely. Evidence of shelling could be seen on the buses, he said.
In the center of Ukraine, officials reported the successful evacuation of more women and children from Enerhodar – which had fallen to the Russian army a week earlier – and into surrounding villages.
Most of the displaced in the region are being brought to Zaporizhzhya before boarding trains to western Ukraine.
Mariupol Attempts: The head of the Zaporizhzhya regional military administration, Oleksandr Starukh, said local priests had joined efforts to get a convoy of aid into the besieged port city of Mariupol.
Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov described the situation in Mariupol as very difficult. He accused Russia of bombing the city even during official talks.
Local officials in Mariupol say that around 1,600 people have died as a result of shelling and airstrikes against the city in Mariupol.