⚡ Ukraine successfully evacuated 79 civilians from besieged city of Mariupol on Thursday, regional official says

People fleeing fighting in Mariupol meet with relatives and friends as they arrive at a registration center for internally displaced people in Zaporizhzhia on April 21. They were part of a small convoy that was able to evacuate and cross through territory held by Russian forces. (Ed Jones/AFP/Getty Images)

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the Donetsk regional military administrator, said 79 residents of the besieged city of Mariupol were safely evacuated to Zaproizhzhia on Thursday. 

In a Telegram post, Kyrylenko said that after several delays and failed attempts to open an evacuation corridor from the besieged city, “this is the first time since the beginning of the blockade of Mariupol by the Russian occupation forces, we managed to evacuate local residents in an organized manner and take them to safety.”

Kyrylenko said almost 100,000 residents of Mariupol have already arrived in Zaporizhzhia, promising that Ukrainian authorities will continue to work hard so that everyone who wants to escape the besieged city can do so.

Kyrylenko said during previous attempts to pull civilians out, the Russian forces broke their agreements, forcing those escaping to rely on private transport.

“This time, four buses managed to leave the besieged city in an organized manner. It is much less than agreed, but we still rejoice for every life saved,” Kyrylenko said before congratulating all the evacuees who had managed to escape.

Ukraine War 24

Ukraine War 24

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⚡ Ukraine successfully evacuated 79 civilians from besieged city of Mariupol on Thursday, regional official says

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