Mariupol deputy mayor: Russia continuing to shell city despite local ceasefire for evacuation

5 March 2022, 12:54 pm

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Russian troops are continuing to shell Mariupol and the evacuation route out of the city despite an agreement for a local ceasefire to allow civilians to leave, the deputy mayor says.

“The Russians are continuing to bomb us and use artillery. It is crazy,” Mariupol deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov tells BBC.

“There is no ceasefire in Mariupol and there is no ceasefire all along the route. Our civilians are ready to escape but they cannot escape under shelling,” he says.

A resident of the city tells the British broadcaster that they can hear the shelling, adding that residents who have left the city along the evacuation route are turning around and coming back when they come under attack.