Russia "Mariupol Steel Plant Civilian Escape Requires Ceasefire" (Comprehensive)

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Cho Hyun-ui] On the 25th (local time), the Russian military announced that it would temporarily halt combat operations and open a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the Azovstal steel plant (Russian name Azovstal) in Mariupol, southern Ukraine. However, Ukraine denied this, stating that there was no agreement between the two countries to establish a humanitarian corridor.

According to Interfax and other sources, Mikhail Mizintsev, commander of the National Defense Management Center, a command center under the Russian General Staff, announced that "from 2 p.m. (8 p.m. Korean time), the Russian military and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) forces will unilaterally cease combat operations, withdraw troops to a safe distance, and guarantee civilian evacuation in all directions."

The Russian military explained that workers, women, children, and other civilians inside the Azovstal steel plant would be able to escape through the humanitarian corridor.

He stated, "If civilians remain in the steel plant, we demand that the Ukrainian government immediately order the commanders of nationalist organizations (Ukrainian forces) to release them."

This repeated the claim that the Ukrainian forces, using Azovstal as the last stronghold of resistance in Mariupol, are using civilians as "human shields." It is known that about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers and 1,000 civilians are inside Azovstal.

In response, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk stated that there was no agreement with Russia regarding the humanitarian corridor. Through social media, she said, "A humanitarian corridor can only be opened by mutual agreement between both sides," adding, "A unilateral announcement cannot guarantee safety, and since Russia's announcement is such, it is not a humanitarian corridor."

Since early March, the Russian military and the DPR forces, who declared independence in the eastern Donbas region of Ukraine, have been conducting a siege attack on Mariupol. Recently, with the Russian military and DPR forces effectively controlling Mariupol, the Ukrainian forces are making their last stand based at the Azovstal steel plant.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.