An adviser to the mayor’s office in Mariupol says civilians have finally been able to get out of the city through the evacuation corridor – and head towards Zaporizhia, which is under Ukrainian control.
Official Petro Andryushenko, He said that as of 1 p.m. local time (7 a.m. ET) “we have confirmation of the ceasefire regime” in an evacuation corridor for “special transport along the route: Mariupol – Mylikin – Bortovsky – Mangos – Berdyansk – Zaporozhye.”
Berdyansk under Russian control.
“To date, more than 50 private cars have already passed Berdyansk and are heading towards Zaporizhzhya,” the official added.
Androchenko warned: “So far, there are no difficulties in crossing the checkpoints” but “we cannot officially guarantee security on this corridor. But this is the only corridor that has received official approval and is already in operation today.”
Mariupol City Council says this green lane is semi-official and does not guarantee the safety of people who decide to use it. Moreover, only people who have personal cars can use it. This lane is not for buses.
According to the city council, 160 cars got off from Mariupol and passed Berdyansk. The most recent information about her was at 3 PM local time (9 AM ET).
Mariupol has a population of about 400,000 people. It is not known how many people left before the Russian invasion and the encirclement of the city.
The city suffered great devastation and Ukrainian authorities say more than 2,500 people were killed.
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