Apr 8 – Ukraine said it intended to establish up to 10 humanitarian corridors to evacuate trapped civilians on Friday, but civilians trying to flee the besieged city of Mariupol will have to use private vehicles.
The planned 10 safe corridors, announced by Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk, are all located in the south and east of Ukraine.
Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have been regrouping for a new offensive, and that Moscow plans to seize as much territory as it can in the eastern part of Ukraine known as the Donbas, which borders Russia.
Vereshchuk said that 4,676 civilians had been evacuated from Ukrainian cities on Thursday.
Since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, multiple attempts to agree safe passage for buses to bring supplies to Mariupol and move civilians out have failed, with each side blaming the other.
Mayor Vadim Boichenko put the civilian death toll in the Azov Sea port city at around 5,000 more than a week ago, and tens of thousands remain stuck without power and low on supplies.
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