Russia announced a new ceasefire on Wednesday morning, saying it was ready to open evacuation corridors from Kyiv, Chernykov, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol, and other Ukrainian cities. 

Today is the 14th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Attempts on Tuesday to evacuate the bombed-out areas had mixed results. About 5,000 people were evacuated from the city of Sumy in Poltava, including 1,700 foreign students.

However, the evacuation of Mariupol never started, as the buses that departed from Zaporizhia to Mariupol to transport civilians were bombed and returned empty.

The bombing of Mariupol, a city of 430,000, was relentless. It is estimated that there are many victims. The city has been without water, heating, and telephone services for several days.

Families have been living underground for days. Both sides have blamed each other for non-compliance with the ceasefire and for misinformation about humanitarian corridors. Russian Colonel Mikhail Mizinchev proposed the creation of an open line to coordinate evacuations.

Russia, meanwhile, has stepped up its night bombardment of Kyiv suburbs. Families there continue to seek refuge in the capital’s metro stations. Russian forces are preparing for an “attack on the capital in the next 24-96 hours”, according to estimates.

The United States has rejected Poland’s proposal to supply MiG-29 fighters to Ukraine as “unsustainable” and is sending Patriot batteries to Poland.

In the economic sphere, the US imposed an embargo on Russian oil and gas, while the United Kingdom announced that it will gradually abolish Russian oil imports by the end of 2022. In Russia, the sale of foreign currency is suspended until September 9, while, one after another, large American multinational companies, such as Coca-Cola and McDonalds, are suspending their operations there.

On the Ukrainian side, the speech of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom was moving, with references to Churchill’s speech and the British struggle against the Nazis.

Source: euronews.com

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