International aid workers who were detained by Russian forces Monday have been released.
The workers were released a day after a convoy of seven buses led by the International Committee of the Red Cross was held up in the Russian-held town of Manhush, where the workers were attempting to evacuate residents of Mariupol, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk told CNN.
“The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) team that was held by police in Manhush on Monday was released last night,” a Red Cross spokesperson said in a statement obtained by the outlet, calling it a “great relief to us and to their families.”
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The capture of the Red Cross workers, who had been trying to reach Mariupol since Friday, shows “how volatile and complex the operation to facilitate safe passage” is, the organization said.
Despite promises from Russian representatives to allow evacuations through humanitarian corridors, only a few private cars have been able to escape. No humanitarian buses were allowed passage.
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Conditions in the war-torn city of Mariupol have deteriorated in recent weeks, as up to 170,000 people go without power and have limited food, the city’s mayor said, according to Reuters.
