More than 3,000 people have escaped the besieged region of Mariupol in a convoy of buses and private cars, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said.
ZAPORIZHZHIA - More than 3,000 people have escaped the besieged region of Mariupol in a convoy of buses and private cars, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday as the Red Cross prepared a fresh evacuation effort for the devastated southern port.
"That's more than 2,500 people. More than 300 private cars follow the buses. All of them are now heading to the city of Zaporizhzhia," she said on Telegram, adding more evacuations of Mariupol were planned for Saturday. But Kyiv would not be drawn on whether it was behind the attack, with Zelensky telling US network Fox News: "I'm sorry, I do not discuss any of my orders as commander in chief".
But Zelensky said Russia was consolidating and preparing "powerful strikes" in the east and south, joining Western assessments that Moscow's troops were regrouping, not withdrawing."Just give us missiles. Give us airplanes," he said on Fox. "You cannot give us F-18 or F-19 or whatever you have? Give us the old Soviet planes. That's all... Give me something to defend my country with.
Russia on Friday launched its annual military draft but vowed that conscripts would not be sent to fight in Ukraine."Don't let them join the army. It's not their war. We don't need any more deaths," he said.