Ukraine: Locals, foreign students flee through ‘humanitarian corridors’ but Kyiv says Russia shelled an evacuation route
- Soon after residents including Chinese, Indian students began leaving northern areas, reports of shelling near southeast city of Mariupol
- Russia ‘violating ceasefire’ says Ukraine; Nato says ‘very creditable reports of civilians coming under fire as they try to evacuate’
Ukrainian civilians began leaving two besieged areas on Tuesday after Russia opened “humanitarian corridors” for them, but Kyiv said Russian forces shelled an evacuation route from the southern port city of Mariupol, where aid workers said tens of thousands were said to be living in “apocalyptic” conditions.
Civilians boarded buses out of the northeastern city of Sumy, where 21 people were killed in air strikes overnight, while others took an unofficial escape route out of the bombarded Kyiv suburb of Irpin.
A convoy of buses packed with people moved along a snowy road from Sumy, according to video from the Ukrainian communications agency.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said they were headed southwest to the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, and included students from India and China.
Soon after people began leaving Sumy and Irpin, foreign ministry spokesperson Oleg Nikolenko reported shelling near Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine.
