US Department of State Representative Ned Price. File photoWASHINGTON, May 4 The United States welcomes efforts to get civilians to safety in Ukraine, State Department spokesman Ned Price said Wednesday, commenting on the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol «Every time that a person can use a humanitarian corridor or a humanitarian pause to achieve safety is a positive thing,» Price said during a regular briefing, commenting on the progress of the evacuation of people from the territory of Azovstal.
The Russian Armed Forces will open a humanitarian corridor from May 5 to May 7 for evacuation from Azovstal. Meanwhile, according to him, the United States would like to see «a longer humanitarian corridor and humanitarian access.» Price also traditionally accused Russia of using its humanitarian concerns as a pretext for resuming shelling of «besieged areas, including in Mariupol,» according to the United States. regular gum corridors for the evacuation of civilians from Azovstal — on May 5, 6 and 7 from 8.00 to 18.00. The humanitarian headquarters clarified that during the specified period, the RF Armed Forces and the formations of the DPR «unilaterally cease any hostilities, the units are withdrawn to a safe distance and ensure the withdrawal of civilians in any directions they choose, both to the territory of the Russian Federation and to those controlled by the Kyiv authorities At the same time, a representative of the internal troops of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the DPR told RIA Novosti that the Ukrainian side broke the silence regime at the Mariupol plant Azovstal, shelling began from their positions on the territory of the plant, the DPR military had to respond. Earlier, the headquarters also reported on the evacuation to Nameless 101 people from the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol. On Sunday, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that thanks to the initiative of Russian President Vladimir Putin, 80 civilians, including women and children, who were held by Ukrainian nationalists, were rescued from the territory of Azovstal in Mariupol. All those released were evacuated to Bezymennoe, where they were provided with accommodation, food and medical assistance. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24th. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops and , on March 25, completed the main tasks of the first stage — significantly reduced the combat potential of Ukraine. The main goal in the Russian military department was called the liberation of Donbass.
