UKRINFORM/ Ukrinform/Future Publishing via Getty Images
- Zelenskyy accused Russian forces of leaving behind landmines in Northern Ukraine.
- He’s advising Ukrainians to wait until explosives are cleared before returning to reclaimed land.
- The announcement comes as seven humanitarian corridors are expected to be opened on Saturday.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces were laying minefields in areas where they either were expelled from or left on their own in the northern part of Ukraine.
“After them, a complete disaster and many dangers are left,” Zelenskyy said in an address posted to his Instagram. “Firstly, the bombing may continue. Secondly, they are mining all this territory. Mining houses, equipment, even the bodies of killed people. Too many tripwire mines, too many other dangers.”
Zelenskyy advised people to wait until explosives are cleared in reclaimed territories before returning.
His comments come as seven humanitarian corridors are expected to be opened on Saturday.
The International Committee of the Red Cross announced it would try to reach Mariupol on Saturday after not being able to on Friday.
In a statement, the ICRC said a team of three vehicles and nine personnel were unable to reach Mariupol to facilitate the safe passage of civilians and had to “return to Zaporizhzhia after arrangements and conditions made it impossible to proceed.”
NBC News reported that Ukraine’s prosecutor general Iryna Venediktova announced that another six humanitarian corridors are expected to be opened on Saturday as well.
The Ukrainian government has previously accused Russian forces of shelling and laying landmines along humanitarian corridors and disrupting the safety of those trying to flee or aid workers delivering necessary supplies.
Oleksandra Matviychuk, chair of the Center for Civil Liberties, a Ukrainian humanitarian NGO previously told Insider that her organization has been mainly focused on tracking which corridors are open and actually safe.
“Some days the evacuations are shelled by Russians,” Matviychuk said. “Some days the corridors aren’t open.”
As of Friday, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights reported that 1,325 people have been killed in Ukraine and another 2,017 have been injured since Russia invaded the country on February 24.
Powered by WPeMatico
