Russia: Humanitarian aid did not arrive in Mariupol today either
Russia’s Defense Ministry has denied that the convoys that helped evacuate the civilians were able to reach the besieged Mariupol, neither yesterday nor today, and blamed the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) for its “catastrophic actions.”
According to Reuters, quoting the Russian RIA, a Russian official said that due to the actions of the Red Cross, the motorcades started too late and could not arrive in Mariupol in time.
The Red Cross convoy bound for Mariupol was forced to turn around and return on Friday because it was impossible to continue its mission and begin evacuating the city, the International Commission said. He even promised that he would try to get to the city again today.
Interfax quoted Colonel Mikhail Mizinchev, director of the Russian National Defense Management Center, as saying that the Red Cross had failed to provide any assistance to evacuate civilians from the city. Mizinchev said that due to the actions of the Red Cross, the motorcades left very late on April 1st and 2nd and did not manage to reach Mariupol in time.
On Friday, Mizinchev said, Red Cross workers made unplanned stops and specific vehicles were detached from the main phalanx and then turned back.
The Red Cross did not respond to a request for comment.
SOURCE: ΑΠΕ-ΜΠΕ