Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko held a news conference providing an update on the grim circumstances in Mariupol as Russians continue to overwhelm the beleaguered city.
Speaking via a translator, Boichenko said that 100,000 residents remained in occupied Mariupol and estimated that somewhere between 300 and 1,000 Mariupol residents were sheltering at the vast Azovstal steel plant, which Ukrainian forces have managed to defend as a “last stand.” The plant, however, has lately been under siege by the Russians, though it is unclear if the complex is under Russian control.
In the meantime, Mariupol residents continue to seek a way to evacuate safely, but Russia has not yet provided a safe humanitarian corridor. The mayor stated that over 200 people had gathered awaiting evacuation, assembling whether there was to be an evacuation or not. He added that “somebody” went to them and said there would be a personal approach to the evacuation procedure, beginning with women with children first, followed by women without children, followed by the elderly.
However, despite lining up at the arranged location, the mayor said there were still no coaches.