Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine (April 20, 2022)
The Russian Armed Forces today, April 20, 2022, for purely humane reasons, from 2pm (Moscow time) opened a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians from the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, which, according to the Ukrainian side, is allegedly located there, and also offered AFU servicemen, fighters of nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries to lay down their arms and voluntarily surrender.
We are forced to note that the announced humanitarian operation has been cynically disrupted by the Kiev authorities, and no one has made use of the corridor in question. The commanders of the nationalist battalions did not seize another opportunity to save themselves and the lives of their subordinates.
At the same time, the Kiev authorities have ignored Russian initiatives, showed an inhuman attitude towards Ukrainian servicemen and failed to give them the only correct order - to stop pointless resistance and lay down arms.
Separately, we inform the command of the Azov nationalist battalion, which has issued a video appeal to the international community, including the leaders of the United Kingdom, the USA and Turkey, asking for "green corridors" and for the release of civilians allegedly staying at Azovstal, wounded fighters and the evacuation of bodies of dead Ukrainian servicemen. You have come to the wrong place. The Russian Federation has done everything to save your lives. You should have appealed directly to the leadership of Ukraine, which long ago betrayed you.
In addition, the leadership of the Russian Federation has guaranteed all of you who have voluntarily laid down your arms the preservation of your lives, complete safety and qualified medical assistance.
The Russian Federation, in strict compliance with the norms of international humanitarian law, continues its systematic and coordinated work to provide comprehensive assistance to the population of the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics, as well as to civilians and foreign nationals in the liberated territories of Ukraine.
The Russian Armed Forces have been opening humanitarian corridors in the Kharkov and Mariupol directions daily since 10:00 am (Moscow time). The Russian side is ready to deploy humanitarian corridors in any other directions as soon as possible and to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians.
The Russian Armed Forces together with the formations of the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics strictly observe the ceasefire on all routes.
The Russian Federation's Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response, in co-operation with the authorised federal executive authorities, continues to carefully record the continuing egregious facts of the inhumane treatment of civilians by Kiev authorities. Ukrainian armed formations continue to use medical infrastructure to equip strongholds and deploy heavy weaponry:
in Slavyansk in the Donetsk People's Republic, a unit of the Ukrainian armed forces is stationed in the building of a railway hospital, with armoured vehicles and artillery firing positions in the surrounding area;
in Lisichansk in the Lugansk People's Republic, nationalists have set up firing positions in the building of the regional children's hospital.
These and other similar facts, despite our repeated statements, have to date been ignored by the World Health Organisation.
Once again, we call on all international organisations, especially the World Health Organisation, to influence official Kiev and take effective measures to prevent the use of medical infrastructure for military purposes.
In addition, against the backdrop of the dire humanitarian situation in Nikolaev, social payments to the population have been stopped, humanitarian aid is being stolen by the local administration and overpriced on the shelves of shops and pharmacies. Public utilities do not work, the central water supply is disconnected, forcing people to draw water from all available, including untested sources (rivers, ponds, abandoned wells). Nikolaev will be in the zone of an epidemiological catastrophe if the local authorities do not take immediate measures to restore the city's life support systems. At the same time, amid a deteriorating humanitarian situation, territorial defence fighters have carried out mass uncontrolled distribution of weapons and drugs to the local population and carried out punitive raids in order to detect any signs of pro-Russian views among local residents. All suspects are apprehended, taken to an unknown destination. In the course of these security raids, the nationalists forcibly seize valuable property and foodstuffs, ostensibly for the needs of territorial defence.
Such actions by Kiev once again demonstrate an inhuman attitude towards the fate of its own citizens and show a complete disregard for all norms of morality and international humanitarian law.
Meanwhile, Western countries are not only aware of Kiev's gross violations of the Geneva Conventions, but are also trying to help the Ukrainian authorities cover up their cynical crimes by massively spreading fake news in foreign media.
Despite all the difficulties and obstacles imposed by the Ukrainian side, over the past day, without the participation of Kiev, 14,982 people were evacuated from dangerous areas, 2,940 of them children, and in total, since the beginning of the special military operation, 894,030 people have already been evacuated, of which 163,761 are children. The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 118,810 personal vehicles including 1,843 per day.
More than 9,500 temporary accommodation centres continue to operate in the constituent entities of the Russian Federation and are fully equipped with recreational facilities and hot meals. The refugees are treated individually and provided with qualified medical and psychological assistance.
Over the past 24 hours, the hotline of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for Humanitarian Response, federal executive authorities, subjects of the Russian Federation and various public organizations received 357 appeals from foreign and Ukrainian citizens, with a total of 2,751,150 from 2,128 locations in Ukraine in the database.
Ukrainian nationalists continue to hold 6,126 foreign nationals from 12 countries hostage as human shields.
Furthermore, 76 foreign vessels from 18 countries remain blocked in Ukrainian ports. The threat of shelling and high mine danger created by official Kiev in its internal waters and territorial sea prevents vessels from safely leaving the ports and reaching the open sea.
In confirmation of this, the Russian Federation is opening daily from 08:00 to 19:00 (Moscow time) a humanitarian corridor, which is a safe lane south-west of Ukraine's territorial sea, 80 nautical miles long and 3 nautical miles wide.
Detailed information in English and Russian on the modus operandi of the maritime humanitarian corridor is broadcast daily every 15 minutes on VHF radio on 14 and 16 international channels in English and Russian.
At the same time, the Kiev authorities continue to avoid engaging with representatives of states and ship-owning companies to resolve the issue of ensuring the safe passage of foreign vessels to the assembly area. At the International Maritime Organisation, Ukraine's representatives refuse to discuss issues of ship departures security, demonstratively avoiding dialogue.
The Russian Federation is taking a full range of exhaustive measures to ensure civilian navigation in the Black Sea, the Sea of Azov and the Mediterranean.
The danger to navigation from Ukrainian mines drifting off their anchors along the coasts of Black Sea states remains.
Once again, we call on the International Maritime Organization and the management of ship-owning companies to influence official Kiev to take measures aimed at unblocking and securing the departure of foreign vessels from Ukrainian ports.
Federal executive authorities, together with the subjects of the Russian Federation, various public organizations, patriotic movements, continue to accumulate humanitarian aid.
The greatest contributors to the relief effort were:
Ministry of the Russian Federation for Civil Defence, Emergencies and Elimination of Consequences of Natural Disasters, Ministry of Industry and Trade of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media of the Russian Federation, Ministry of Agriculture of the Russian Federation, Federal Agency for the Commonwealth of Independent States, Compatriots Living Abroad and International Humanitarian Cooperation, Federal Penitentiary Service;
Republics of Bashkortostan, Buryatia, Crimea, Chechnya, Komi, Kabardino-Balkaria and Tatarstan, Altai, Krasnodar, Stavropol Territory, Amur, Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Bryansk, Vologda, Voronezh, Nizhny Novgorod, Kemerovo, Kursk, Moscow, Murmansk, Ryazan, Tula and Yaroslavl regions, Khanty-Mansi Autonomous District-Ugra;
among political parties and non-profit organisations: United Russia, the All-Russian Public Movement "People's Front", the All-Russian Public Organisation of Veterans "Battle Brotherhood", the Autonomous Non-Profit Organisation for Support of Humanitarian Programmes "Russian Humanitarian Mission", the All-Russian Public Organisation "Russian Boxing Federation", the Charity Foundation "Pro Life", the All-Russian Public State Organisation "Russian Union of Women" and the Russian Machine Builders Union.
More than 22,000 tonnes of basic necessities and food kits, including baby food and life-saving medicines, have been prepared at collection points.
Since March 2, 13,419.8 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 865 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 4 actions in Zaparozhye and Kherson regions, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 262 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.
On April 20, 10 humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Kharkov, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 436.1 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.