Statement of the Joint Coordination Headquarters for Humanitarian Response in Ukraine (April 3, 2022)

In accordance with its humanitarian commitments, the Russian Federation is carrying out systematic and coordinated work to evacuate civilians and foreign nationals from dangerous areas, and is also implementing a set of measures to provide comprehensive assistance to the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and the population in the controlled areas of Ukraine.

The Russian Armed Forces have been opening humanitarian corridors in the Kharkov and Mariupol directions daily since 10:00 am (Moscow time). A sufficient number of crossing points on the territory of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus are in constant readiness to receive refugees; if necessary, we are ready to deploy additional humanitarian corridors in any direction as soon as possible and to ensure the safe evacuation of civilians and foreign nationals.

Seven more corridors in the Zaporozhya and Donetsk directions have been declared by the Ukrainian side for the current day, of which, as before, none is towards the Russian Federation.

Currently, the Russian Armed Forces strictly observe the ceasefire on all routes, including those declared by the Ukrainian side. 

The Russian Federation welcomes and promptly responds to all positive humanitarian initiatives from foreign States and international organisations. 

Thus, following personal requests to the President of the Russian Federation, Vladimir Putin, by the President of France and the Federal Chancellor of Germany every day from March 31, 2022, as well as at the request of the President of the Republic of Turkey on April 3, 2022. All necessary conditions were created by the Russian side to secure humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians and foreign nationals from Mariupol to Berdyansk, then by land transport to the Republic of Crimea or Zaporozhye (to Kiev-controlled territories), as well as by sea to selected destinations.

Unfortunately, well-organised and prepared humanitarian operations to rescue Mariupol residents and foreign nationals were cynically disrupted by the Ukrainian side: the section of the route adjacent to the city of Mariupol was repeatedly subjected to heavy fire from AFU units and nationalist battalions, including mortars and large-calibre small arms fire. As a result, the humanitarian convoy, accompanied by representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross, spent two days in the assembly areas (Berdyansk and Mangush), constantly waiting for a ceasefire from the nationalists and confirmation by the Kiev authorities of the introduction of a ceasefire, which has still not been enforced.

Thus, the humanitarian initiatives fully supported by the Russian Federation and undertaken by the leaders of France, Germany and Turkey are cynically ignored by official Kiev. 

The Russian Federation solely for humanitarian reasons, at the initiative of the Turkish side, reopens the humanitarian corridor for the rescue of foreign citizens and civilians from Mariupol from 06:00 on April 4, 2022 and is also ready to ensure that the vessels involved in the evacuation enter and leave the port of Berdyansk in compliance with international maritime law.

But the success of this humanitarian operation depends only on the Ukrainian side. Due to the fact that militant nationalist formations do not actually obey official Kiev and continue constant shelling of the declared humanitarian corridors, the Ukrainian side has never fulfilled its obligations to evacuate citizens, not a single humanitarian convoy from the western direction has ever been able to enter Mariupol. 

We ask the Turkish side to ensure that the Ukrainian authorities strictly fulfil their obligations to create a humanitarian corridor and observe the ceasefire during the operation to evacuate citizens in the Mariupol direction. 

In addition, we once again draw the attention of the International Committee of the Red Cross, OSCE, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other international organizations to the inhumane, criminal policy of official Kiev towards its citizens and cynical violations of international humanitarian law.

Despite all the difficulties and obstacles posed by Kiev, in the past 24 hours, without the participation of the Ukrainian authorities, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross, 27,893 people have been evacuated to Russia from the Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics and dangerous areas of Ukraine, including 5,535 children, and a total of 585,458 people, of whom 117,405 are children, since the start of the special military operation.

The state border of the Russian Federation was crossed by 72,995 vehicles, of which 3,628 per day.

In Mariupol, also without any involvement from the Ukrainian side, 123,686 people have already been rescued from the lawlessness of the nationalists, including 1,939 in the past 24 hours.

A daily analysis of appeals by Ukrainian citizens to the hotline of the Joint Coordination Headquarters of the Russian Federation for humanitarian response in Ukraine, to federal executive authorities, various public organizations, as well as constituent entities of the Russian Federation, to family, friends and acquaintances living in Russia shows that a significant part of the population forcibly held by nationalists in Ukrainian cities is still seeking any opportunity to evacuate to Russian territory. 

Over the past day, another 1,236 such appeals have been received, and in total there are already 2,735,935 of 2,124 settlements in Ukraine in the database.

Ukrainian nationalists continue to hold 6,546 foreign nationals from 19 countries hostage as human shields.

In addition, more than 60 foreign vessels 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.

Once again we warn the entire international community that there is a threat of Ukrainian mines drifting off their anchor along the coasts of the Black Sea states. 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.

More than 9,500 temporary accommodation centres continue to operate in the regions of the Russian Federation. A sufficient number of motor vehicles, including comfortable buses, are located at the checkpoints to take refugees to their chosen places of residence or to temporary accommodation facilities where medical care and hot meals are organized.

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 Energy of the Russian Federation, Federal Agency for State Reserves, Federal Tax Service, Federal Service for State Registration, Cadastre and Cartography, Federal Agency for Nationalities;

Republics of Buryatia, Tatarstan and Crimea, the Arkhangelsk, Belgorod, Moscow, Kursk and Rostov regions and the Krasnodar region;

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 the support of humanitarian programmes "Russian Humanitarian Mission", the All-Russian public organisation "Boxing Federation of Russia", the All-Russian public organisation "Union of Armenians of Russia" and the All-Russian public and state organisation "Union of Women of Russia".

More than 22,500 tons of basic necessities, food and medicines have been prepared at the collection points.

Since March 2, 7,842.3 tons of humanitarian cargo have already been delivered to Ukraine, 739 humanitarian actions have been carried out, including 6 actions in Zaporozhye and Kherson regions, as well as in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 353 tons of basic necessities, medicines and food were transferred to the civilian population of the liberated areas.

On April 3, 15 humanitarian actions have been planned and are currently being carried out in Kharkov and Kherson regions, in Donetsk and Lugansk people's republics, during which 330 tons of basic necessities, medicine and food will be distributed.