Ukraine is undergoing a humanitarian crisis Europe hasn't experienced in decades. Thousands of civilians are being killed in the street by Russian artillery bombardment. Over 1.5 million people have left the country seeking refuge. Europe is opening its arms to them. It may need to open more.
Ukrainians are feeling what the International Criminal Court may soon rule to be a war crime ordered by Vladimir Putin. Russian artillery and missile systems are targeting civilian infrastructure and residential buildings. Corpses lie in the street, their suitcases nearby. Volodymyr Zelensky addressed his nation.
"A man, a woman, and two children right on the road. When they were just trying to get out of town. To escape. The whole family. How many families like this have died in Ukraine?"
Too many families.
Russian shelling of cities has been indiscriminate. Civilian and military targets are bombed alike. The shelling has begun to intensify in recent days. The Russian military denies targeting civilians. However, video, pictures, and first-hand accounts from Ukraine contradict that notion.
An evacuation route in Mariupol, brokered in part by the Red Cross, was agreed on by Russian negotiators and their Ukrainian counterparts, who were hesitant to believe the Russians. The agreement would allow citizens in Mariupol and nearby Volnovakha to safely leave the city from
9 AM to 4 PM on Sunday, March 6. The Russian ministry of defense was expected to observe a ceasefire during that time.
The evacuation lasted a total of 45 minutes, after which Russian bombardment resumed. An evacuation route was directly targeted by some shells. The Wall Street Journal reported the following statement.
"It's a miracle I am still alive," says Lyubov Tarasyk. "It hit so close to us. I am fortunate someone pushed me down, my face into the dirt."
Mariupol does not have internet, electricity, or heat. Hospitals are struggling to treat people, one hospital scrounging for diesel to fuel its generators. Injuries are mounting as Russian bombing intensifies.
Other cities like Irpin, Bucha, and Hostomel, cities surrounding Kyiv, are being shelled with complete devastation. Ukrainian negotiators are working to secure safe evacuation routes in Bucha and Hostomel. Irpin is not being covered, while its people are dying. Buses, paid by charities, are being loaded with women, children, and the elderly and transported to nearby Rivne and Lutsk. Civilian cars are bringing those injured from the bombing campaign to ambulances.
Putin is deploying a tactic of complete annihilation. He believes that if he cannot have Ukraine, then no one should, not even Ukraine's people. This strategy will cement attitudes against his regime and make an occupation of Ukraine undesirable and costly. Ukrainians are furious with Putin for uprooting their livelihoods and will not allow his regime to control Ukraine and its people. Shell-shocked soldiers can be difficult to calm. Calming a shell-shocked population will be impossible.
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