Advisor to President’s Office: Putin ignores proposals regarding Mariupol evacuation

Olena Roshchina – Saturday, 30 April 2022, 11:17

The world is prepared to help save the people of Mariupol from Russian bombardment but the Russian side is rejecting all proposals to this end.

Source: Mykhailo Podoliak, Advisor to the Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, cited on the website of Sluha Narodu [People’s Servant, President Zelenskyy’s party]

According to Podoliak: "The President and the Head of the President’s Office continue to appeal to world leaders to help us convince the Russian side that a humanitarian corridor from Mariupol is vital.

Certain political leaders are appealing to Putin via their own private channels of communication. They are trying to convince him that this has to be done for humanitarian reasons. But unfortunately, there is no response from the Russian side."

Details: Podoliak stressed that Russia is demonstrating a total reluctance to negotiate and make any concessions even on humanitarian issues. Podoliak is convinced that destroying Mariupol and the Azov Regiment would be a symbolic victory for Russia.

"Every day [Russia deploys] the maximum possible amount of heavy artillery and aviation to destroy Azovstall. The Russians don’t understand that there are children and civilians there. They keep on bombarding [the steelworks]," Podoloiak said.

Despite Russia’s unwillingness to cooperate, the government of Ukraine and world leaders continue to try to arrange the evacuation of people from Mariupol.

"There are enough courageous people in the world prepared to facilitate the evacuation from Mariupol, including political leaders. We will go there, and dozens of world leaders are prepared to stand with us as we evacuate the people. The world wants to help solve this enormous humanitarian crisis," Podoliak insisted.

Background:

• Mariupol has been under siege since 1 March. The Azov Regiment, some of the Marines, Border Guards and National Guards are gathered at the Azovstal steelworks. Civilians from Mariupol are also hiding there, in the plant’s bunkers, from Russian shelling and bombs.
• Finding themselves at a dead end, Mariupol’s defenders have called on the world to agree on the "extraction" procedure used in Dunkirk during World War II. In particular, the Marines have asked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to carry out their "extraction" to Turkey.
• The Ukrainian authorities hoped to evacuate civilians, and possibly wounded soldiers, from the Azovstal plant on Friday, 29 April.
• UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested that the UN coordinate evacuation efforts from Mariupol during his visits to both Kyiv and Moscow. UN Resident Coordinator for Ukraine Osnat Lubrani, arrived in Zaporizhzhia on 28 April to prepare for the evacuation from Mariupol.