Mayor of besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol appeals for help, says no power or water, no way to collect the dead
India Today
Russia-Ukraine War Updates: The mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol said that since the Russian attack, the city has been without power and water and they have not been able to get out to recover the dead.
Vadym Boichenko, the mayor of the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, painted a grim picture of life in the city in an interview on a YouTube channel Saturday.
Boichenko said that the situation is very complicated and that the Russian army has already put up a blockade on the humanitarian corridor, CNN reported. "We have a lot of social problems which all the Russians have created," he said.
Mairupol, which has a population of nearly 4,00,000, has been without electricity for five days. "All our thermal substations rely on this power supply, so accordingly, we are without heat," Boichenko said.
The mayor also added that there were no mobile networks, and since the Russian attack on Mariupol, they have lost their reserve water supply, due to which the city is totally without water.
Boichenko accused the Russian army of working to besiege the city and set up a blockade in order to cut the city off from the humanitarian corridor. "They want to cut us off from the humanitarian corridor, shutting down the delivery of essential goods, medical supplies, even baby food. Their goal is to choke the city and place it under unbearable stress."
Boichenko said the number of wounded and dead has increased in the past few days, numbering in thousands, and said the figures are only going to get worse. He said that this was the sixth straight day of airstrikes and they were not able to get out to recover the dead.
"They say they want to save Ukrainians from being killed by the Ukrainian [state] but they are the ones doing the killing," Boichenko said. He also praised the brave doctors who have been saving lives in the city for the last 10 days. "They live and sleep in our hospitals with their families."
