A ceasefire, and a chance for civilians to leave, was announced on Saturday morning in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where an estimated 200,000 people are trapped under heavy bombardment by Russian forces.
The city arranged 50 buses, and many people travelled to the city centre to get them. But after less than two hours, Russia’s army began shelling residential areas again, trapping civilians who had begun their escape.
The city is now in its fifth day with no running water, no power, no sanitation, and food and water are fast running out.
Maxim, a 27-year-old IT developer who is caring for his grandparents in their sixth-floor apartment, spoke to the BBC on Saturday night to describe a day that began with hope and ended in despair.
Russian troops are firing from Gradov, located in a densely populated village. This was recorded by air reconnaissance.
The Russian military leadership claims that it does not fire on the civilian population of Ukraine.#kyiv #ukraine #war #stopwar #stopputin #Mariupol pic.twitter.com/RvMhroHk22
— Indy Man (@IndyMan2020) March 6, 2022
