As efforts to evacuate 200,000 people from the brutally shelled city of Mariupol failed for the second day in a row, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Sunday that his operation in Ukraine was proceeding as planned and that it would not cease unless Kyiv stopped fighting.
According to Ukrainian authorities, the majority of civilians besieged in the port city are sleeping in bomb shelters to avoid more than six days of near-constant shelling by encircling Russian forces, which has cut off food, water, power, and heating supplies.
According to the United Nations on Sunday, the civilian death toll from fighting in Ukraine since Moscow launched its invasion on February 24 stands at 364, including more than 20 children, with hundreds more injured.
According to the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the majority of civilian casualties were caused by ‘explosive weapons having a large effect area, such as shelling from heavy artillery and multi-launch rocket systems, as well as missile and air strikes.’
Moscow has denied striking civilian areas on several occasions.
According to Reuters witnesses, men, women, and children trying to flee violent battles in the area were forced to take cover in Irpin, a town some 25 kilometres (16 miles) northwest of the capital Kyiv, when missiles struck nearby.
Soldiers and fellow residents assisted the elderly in making their way to a bus full of terrified individuals, some of whom were hiding as they waited to be brought to safety.
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