Children are dying from dehydration in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, according to the city’s deputy mayor.
The southern port city has now been under siege by Russian forces for just over two weeks.
Early on in the invasion, Russian forces cut of electricity, gas and water supplies to the city – forcing residents to scavenge for food and water.
While the Kremlin has agreed to open humanitarian corridors to allow people to leave the city, Ukrainian officials say Russian forces have repeatedly fired upon people as they attempt to escape.
On Newstalk Breakfast this morning, the city’s Deputy Mayor Sergei Orlov said people are fighting each other over food and children are dying of dehydration.
“The city has been eight days without any utilities,” he said.
“Russia destroyed all the electric supplies, water supplies. They used our transformers and electricity lines and pumps as targets at the very beginning of the war and they destroyed everything.
“Three days before they destroyed the natural gas supply. People are scared. People are afraid. They are going out on the streets to collect wood to prepare some food on the fire.
“They collect snow to melt it to water. We have had case of people fighting each other for food so it is an apocalyptic picture.”
Dehydration
Asked whether there was enough food to go around in the city, he said: “We have had cases where children have died from dehydration so how is it possible to say we have enough food and water?”
“There is absolutely not enough. They don’t have any food or water, so they are dying. I am afraid to tell you the numbers. I don’t know the numbers.”
Mariupol. Direct strike of Russian troops at the maternity hospital. People, children are under the wreckage. Atrocity! How much longer will the world be an accomplice ignoring terror? Close the sky right now! Stop the killings! You have power but you seem to be losing humanity. pic.twitter.com/FoaNdbKH5k
— Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) March 9, 2022
Mr Orlov said the situation is getting worse with every passing hour.
Asked how long his people could continue holding out against the Russian forces he said: “People are trying to find some warm shelter and not to give them the opportunity to kill their children, women and adults.”
“You have seen these awful pictures of bombed maternity hospitals and other hospitals so that is our current situation,” he said.
“The Ukrainian army defends the city but afterwards you have continuous and uninterruptable bombing. Some Russian troops have come through the borders, so we have, on some directions, street battles between the Ukrainian Army and the Russian Army.
“That is going on at the moment.”
Humanitarian corridors
Mr Orlov said a large group of people tried to escape the city yesterday but were forced back by the Russian army.
“The situation is that Russia lies each time,” he said. “With every word.
“They are saying a lot about ceasefires and stopping bombing and shooting to solve somehow the humanitarian issues but instead of that, they do tank attacks and shelling much more than even before the negotiations.
“Yesterday morning, a group of our citizens - about 100 - gathered together and tried to use their private cars to evacuate from the city.
“They passed through the Ukrainian checkpoint and several kilometres later, there is a Russian checkpoint and they started to shell them with armed weapons.
“Not directly into their cars but around the cars to push our citizens to return back and go back to the city. They were not able to go through and they returned to the city.
“There is no way for any humanitarian reasons for any humanitarian help … there is not any possibility to transfer goods to Mariupol.”
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