Syrian Arab News Agency S A N A
Moscow, SANA- Russian Defense Ministry has announced that it intends to evacuate foreign citizens who are being held hostage by Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol.
“The decision was made to provide full assistance in the evacuation of foreign citizens held hostage by the remaining militants of nationalist battalions in certain areas of Mariupol,” Chief of Russia’s National Defense Control Center Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said on Sunday.
He indicated that as for the humanitarian operation, Russian armed forces would open an additional humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Berdyansk and ensure implementation of the cease-fire on the humanitarian convoy route.
Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense had warned that the extremist Nazis had detained more than 4.5 million Ukrainians to use them as human shields.
Foreign citizens could be evacuated from Berdyansk via any humanitarian corridor through land transport to the Crimea or to the territories controlled by Ukrainian regime, or by the sea, as Russia guarantees the entry and exit of the evacuation ships to Berdyansk port, according the Russian military official.
Rafah al-Allouni/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri
