Thousands of Ukrainians sought to escape the hellish siege of Mariupol on Tuesday (Mar 22), as Russia pounded the city with bombs and UN chief Antonio Guterres appealed for Moscow to end its “unwinnable” war.
The strategic port on the Azov sea has suffered relentless shelling but Ukrainian officials say it has not yet been captured as Russia’s invasion, which began almost a month ago, splutters to a halt.
People who had managed to escape Mariupol described it as a “freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings”, according to Human Rights Watch.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in his regular evening address that one group fleeing along an agreed humanitarian route were “simply captured by the occupiers.”
“There are about 100,000 people in the city – in inhumane conditions, in a complete blockade, no food, no water, no medicine, under constant shelling,” he said.
As US President Joe Biden readied for a trip to Europe this week to tackle a crisis that risks spiraling into global conflict, United Nations chief Antonio Guterres called for Russia to end its “absurd war.”
“Even if Mariupol falls, Ukraine cannot be conquered city by city, street by street, house by house,” he said.
“This war is unwinnable. Sooner or later, it will have to move from the battlefield to the peace table. That is inevitable.”