The only real location in this Russian war where the Russians have had a consistent advantage has been in the southeast of Ukraine. Since 2014-2015 there has been a line of contact between Russian-held territory (though they’d say it was DNR, as if there’s any real difference) and Ukrainian-held territory that has run only a few miles east of the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha. That’s placed these cities on the front lines of this previously slow-burning war. Being so close to Russian-held territory has meant that these cities have been well within range of even short-range missile systems for a long time.

When Russia decided to amp things up, it was a simple matter to start shelling the bejeezus out of these towns. They didn’t have to commit any troops to gain land in order to place their siege equipment; it was already in position. And so, for days on end, Russian artillery has rained down on these front line cities, with either indiscriminate indifference or intentional malice to the targeted areas. When not actively attacking residential areas, the Russians have been working to take out the infrastructure — electricity, water, central heat and communications — making the situation for civilians trapped in these area even worse.

Mariupol has been without the basics for days and the situation is desperate. Volnovahka has been all but destroyed, and yet there are still people sheltering in the few remaining structures. Talks between Ukrainian and Russian delegates two days ago agreed (probably “in principle”) to the establishment of safe humanitarian corridors to allow trapped civilians to evacuate, and after a lot of discussion there appeared to be agreements that would allow the people of Mariupol and Volnovakha to leave.

When I went to bed last night (11pm PST, 9am in Mariupol), the temporary ceasefire was supposed to start but hadn’t yet. When I got up this morning to see where things stood, it seems that the shelling had stopped around 9:30-10am, so the city council sent out the “all clear” for people to assemble and be bused out of the city. However, prior to the buses leaving, the shelling resumed (around 12pm) including around the assembly points. The ceasefire that was supposed to last until at least 4pm was already broken. Additionally, it was found that the safe corridor wasn’t safe anyway. People lucky enough to have their own transportation were instructed on the route to take, but Russian military was shelling that route as well.

It would seem that Russia isn’t happy with the war crimes they’ve already committed, and want to do just about everything possible to show the world that Hitler was a piker. Of course the story in Russian media is that they tried — really tried — to let those innocent people get to safety, but that nasty old nationalist Ukrainian army prevented people from leaving and then started firing on their own people again. What an utter crock.

So, as of Saturday morning in the US, the situation for family and friends in Mariupol has not changed. If anything, it’s actually gotten worse, because now it’s been shown that the Russians cannot be trusted to keep their word and allow civilians to escape the horrors that they’ve brought to Ukraine.

Some reading:
What happened today in Mariupol is a war crime of the Kremlin – News March 5, 2022 – 0629.com.ua
Putin dials up threats against Ukraine and Western powers as stalled evacuations trap thousands – CNN
Russians fire towards area of green corridor in Mariupol – Defense Ministry (ukrinform.net)