Ukrainians leave Mariupol for safety
The fighting in Ukraine is continuing more than two months after Russia’s invasion, which started on 24 February. On 1 May, more than 100 Ukrainians who had been trapped in the city of Mariupol for months were evacuated after an agreement to stop fighting allowed them to leave.
What is happening in Mariupol?
Russian forces have taken almost complete control of Mariupol, a city in the south-east of Ukraine. In a steel factory in the city about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers and almost 1,000 civilians (people who are not in the army) have been taking shelter for almost two months. On 1 May, the United Nations (an organisation of 193 countries that work together on challenges that face humanity) arranged to take civilians away from the steel factory. At the time The Week Junior went to press, about 69 had been taken to safety. The first group arrived in the Ukrainian city of Zaporizhzhia – about 120 miles away – on 3 May. There are still civilians stuck in Mariupol.
How many people have fled Ukraine?
It is estimated that more than 5.5 million people have left Ukraine since the start of the war. Almost 30,000 of these refugees (people forced to leave their homes to escape fighting) have arrived in the UK so far. They have either been given permission to enter because they have family in the UK or have been sponsored by people who have welcomed them into their homes to stay. Ukrainians are mostly travelling to nearby countries, such as Poland, which has taken in more than three million people. Other countries, such as Romania, Hungary and Germany, have also welcomed hundreds of thousands of refugees.
How are countries helping Ukraine?
Countries around the world are providing Ukrainian forces with weapons to help them fight against Russia’s invasion. On
3 May, UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK will send £300 million worth of military supplies to Ukraine. The EU (a group of 27 countries that work and trade together) has said it will spend up to £376 million to help Ukraine defend itself. The US president, Joe Biden, has asked Congress (the US parliament) to approve £27 billion worth of help for Ukraine. It would be used to provide equipment for Ukraine’s military and to help civilians affected by the fighting. The US has already been sending aid to Ukraine, but Biden said it was time to increase that help.
How has Ukraine responded?
T The latest plans to give Ukraine m more money and assistance ca came after the Ukrainian pr president, Volodymyr Zelensky, call called for more help from other count countries. He said that the country needs more than £5.6 billion each month to keep its economy (the way a country organises its money, resources and workers) going because of the war. After Boris Johnson announced military support for Ukraine, Ukrainian politician Lesia Vasylenko said, “Ukraine is certainly lucky to have a friend like the UK.”