Red Cross urges 'unimpeded' humanitarian access to Mariupol to evacuate stranded civilians

As the all-out Russian war in Ukraine entered day 60, the situation in Mariupol has remained dire with at least a thousand civilians stranded in the Azovstal steel plant as invading troops continued to batter the city. Noting the deteriorating humanitarian situation, the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC) on Sunday called for "unimpeded" access to the besieged city in order to facilitate the quick evacuation of civilians and those injured. In a statement, the humanitarian organisation also said that it is "deeply alarmed" by the extreme shortage of necessities in the war-ravaged port city.

"The ICRC is deeply alarmed by the situation in Mariupol, where the population is in dire need of assistance," ICRC said in a statement on the website

"Immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access is urgently required to allow for the voluntary safe passage of thousands of civilians and hundreds of wounded out of the city, including from the Azovstal plant area," the statement added.

The global humanitarian body further stated that it is "ready to help the parties to the conflict agree practical and workable arrangements to ensure the voluntary evacuation." The ICRC said it will send volunteers to facilitate the operation soon after an agreement is drawn along with the stipulated security guarantees. Humanitarian corridors to evacuate women, children, and the elderly were planned to take place from Mariupol on Saturday, said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. However, Donetsk People's Militia spokesperson Eduard Basurin claimed that the evacuation was hindered due to shelling and mortar attacks by Azov nationalists.

Russian forces attempted to storm Azovstal steel plant despite Putin's orders against it

Russian forces on Saturday yet again battered the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, attempting to smash the last resistance from the besieged land. The attack on the Azovstal metallurgical plant, which is sheltering thousands of "remnant" soldiers and civilians, was renewed two days after Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his generals not to storm in, instead  "block off" the industrial area. "The enemy is trying it completely suppress the resistance of the defenders of Mariupol in the area of Azovstal, said Oleksiy Arestovich, an advisor to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

Despite 2,000 strong Ukrainian forces staging fierce defence in the besieged city of Mariupol, Putin last Thursday claims that Russian troops have successfully "liberated" the city. One of the worst-hit, the southern port city has been turned to rubble after Russia concentrated its offensive to take over the strategic point that leads way to the Black Sea. Roughly 1,000 civilians alongside Ukrainian troops are sheltering in Azovstal, the last holdout amid arbitrary shelling, Kyiv officials have said. Local authorities have said, at least 1 lakh residents are still scattered in the city with critically depleting supplies of food and water.

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