4 Dead In Kyiv Shelling: City Mayor
Kyiv, March 21: Heavy shelling of a residential area and shopping district in Kyiv has left at least four people dead, according to city mayor. The attack came even as Russia promised ceasefire if the Ukrainian city Mariupol surrendered and end the over a fortnight siege of the southeastern city situated on the north coast of the Sea of Azov at the mouth of the Kalmius river.
Emergency services in the capital said at least four bodies have been recovered in the past few hours from the debris. In a post on his Telegram channel, the capital’s mayor Vitali Klitschko said that rescue workers are still putting out a large fire at the site of the attack. Images released by emergency services show the rescue operation underway at the mall, but the BBC said it has not been able to verify the reports on the ground. Meanwhile the standoff of the 10th-largest city in Ukraine continued, as Mariupol Governor ignored the Monday deadline given by Russia for forces for 4 am local time.
Moscow had said that it would open up humanitarian corridors if Ukrainian officials agreed to lay down arms. However, the Ukrainians have rejected the demand and vowed to continue fighting. Mariupol officials earlier said Russia attacked an art school in the city, where about 400 people were sheltering Over 7,000 people were evacuated through humanitarian corridors on Sunday, Ukrainian authorities said. UNI
