The Russian army announced on Monday the opening of a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol in order to evacuate civilians to Russia or Belarus.
An option refused by Kiev.
Associations and politicians denounce a humanitarian crisis in Mariupol while the inhabitants of the Ukrainian city lack everything and die under Russian bombs.
The reason for the fierce fighting is that the siege of Mariupol is a strategic advantage for the Russians.
Mariupol on the verge of asphyxiation.
In this port city in southern Ukraine, nearly 441,000 inhabitants have been living to the rhythm of Russian bombs since the start of the conflict.
The besieged city has still not managed to evacuate its civilians.
This Monday morning the Russian army had however announced ceasefires and the opening of humanitarian corridors in several cities towards Russia and Belarus.
But the proposal was refused by Kiev, which does not consider this option acceptable.
The small glimmer of hope that had appeared to the inhabitants of Mariupol has therefore died out until further notice, while on the spot, living conditions are deteriorating day by day.
Explanations.
A “catastrophic” situation
“Today there is no more water;
people have a lot of problems accessing drinking water and this is becoming a somewhat essential issue.
There is no more electricity, there is no more heating.
The food is running out, the stores are empty”, declared Saturday Laurent Ligozat, emergency coordinator of the NGO Doctors without borders (MSF), for whom the situation is “catastrophic”.
According to the mayor of the city Vadym Boichenko, interviewed by
Le Parisien
, the Russians would have "worked methodically to create this crisis, this humanitarian blockade".
For its part, the Red Cross evokes "devastating scenes of human suffering".
According to one of the few families who managed to flee the city, there would be “corpses everywhere”.
Ukrainian victims that the authorities are not even able to count.
"We can't even pick up the bodies lying in the streets of the city because the Russian army is constantly bombarding", assures France 24 the deputy mayor of Mariupol, Sergei Orlov.
Evacuations postponed twice
If Mariupol is undergoing such a crisis today it is also because the inhabitants find themselves completely isolated.
"For several days quite simply, there has been nothing coming in and going out of the city," laments Laurent Ligozat.
Again, the mayor of the city accuses the Russian army of having "worked methodically to ensure that the city is blocked".
However, on Saturday morning, Russia announced a ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians trapped in the fighting.
Evacuations that ultimately did not take place, the Ukrainians accusing the Russians of having violated the ceasefire.
On the Russian side, the army justified the resumption of bombing "due to the reluctance of the Ukrainian side to influence the nationalists or to extend the 'ceasefire'".
On Sunday, Ukrainian forces tried to evacuate some 200,000 people, but this second attempt was again "interrupted" by Russian strikes, said the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov assured France 24 that the Russians had attacked the buses which were to be used to evacuate civilians: “We had 50, we only have 21 left. According to our estimates, there would be more than 1,000 victims. and several hundred of them would have died.
Again, Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed the failure of the evacuations on "Ukrainian nationalists".
Mariupol, a strategic issue
The situation is particularly tense in Mariupol because of the strategic importance of this large city for the Russians.
Mariupol is a port city bordering the Sea of Azov, on the southeast coast.
It is located about 55 kilometers from the Russian border and 85 kilometers from the separatist stronghold of Donetsk, supported by the Russians.
Its capture therefore allows Russian forces from annexed Crimea to join the separatist and Russian troops posted in the Donbass.
It should be noted that in addition to its strategic geographical location, Mariupol is also a large industrial city.
Its commercial port is of crucial importance for the export of grain or steel produced in eastern Ukraine.
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