Residents of the port city of Mariupol remained in that area in the south of Ukraine today, because the second attempt to evacuate them failed, while in the area of Kiev, the Russian army is tightening the noose, the Agence France-Presse reported tonight.
The French news agency reports that on the 11th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, photos reminiscent of Aleppo during the war in Syria, or Grozny during the war in Chechnya, are coming from that area. UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi assessed that it was “the fastest refugee crisis in Europe since the Second World War”.
For the second day in a row, the population had to give up leaving the port city of Mariupol, on the Sea of Azov, where there has been a “humanitarian blockade” for five days, said Mayor Vadim Boychenko, adding that the city has no water, food, heating and electricity.
On the other hand, Russian troops are approaching Kiev. Intense fighting is taking place on the outskirts of the capital, according to Ukrainian regional authorities.
The President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, stated today that the Vinica airport, about 200 kilometers southwest of Kiev, was completely destroyed.