The convoy of humanitarian aid remains stuck in Berdyansk, unable to finish the trip to Mariupol because of shelling and mines along the agreed transit corridor. However, yesterday about 150 cars (only around 300 people) were able to successfully travel from Mariupol to Zaporozhia. It took them 11 hours, because of checkpoints and searches and having to wait until shelling stopped and finding ways around the mined parts of the road. But they made it.

Today another 2000 cars started that journey, with more waiting to try tomorrow. No word yet on how successful today’s group has been. But the numbers of people getting out barely make a dent on the numbers still trapped in the city.

Russians took over a large regional hospital, not only taking the staff and patients hostage, but herding an additional 400 people from the surrounding neighborhood into the hospital as well. Because human shields are more effective when you’ve got a lot of them. This hospital served not only Mariupol and the surrounding parts of Ukraine, but also parts of Russia. It also not that far from the apartment Viktoria lived in and later owned for a good deal of her adult life. Now it’s likely to become another kill box.

Some information outlets have coined and started using a new term: Russcists. A combination of Russian and fascist. I read it described as being a necessary new term, because “fascist” simple doesn’t adequately cover the evil and callous indifference to human life that the Russian forces have shown. It’s a flavor of fascism all their own.

More needs to be done to save Mariupol. Russians are making a conscious choice to destroy the city, by preventing humanitarian aid from getting in and by taking hostages and human shields. I would not be at all surprised if allowing a few cars to leave isn’t some plan to help lull people into a false sense of security. But I understand the reasons for people wanting to try: die trying to get to safety, or die from starvation or dehydration or freezing temperatures in a Mariupol basement?

Even if this escape corridor is legit and manages to stay open, it still requires people to have a car and gasoline. That leaves a lot of people out, which is why those buses of supplies and transportation need to get in.