The Russian occupiers continue to keep thousands of Ukrainians, including Mariupol residents, as a human shield in the area of the Vasylivka checkpoint in the direction of Zaporizhia.
The adviser to the mayor of Mariupol, Petro Andryushchenko, reported the news on Tuesday.
“However, in addition to the typical abuse (blocking the movement, disallowing access to water and food), the occupiers are increasingly resorting to greater abuse,” he said.
The mayor’s adviser said that many residents of Kherson region are heading to Zaporizhia with a load of home-grown cucumbers, strawberries, and other typical vegetables, fruits and berries.
“The occupiers are forcing everyone to throw the food out of their cars in front of the checkpoint, claiming that these are ‘Russian goods’ and that ‘you mustn’t feed those Ukrainians.’ Hundreds of kilograms of food and thousands of hryvnias unearned are now rotting on the motorway and on the roadsides. The Holodomor has long been an integral part of the genocide of Ukrainians by Russians,” Andryushchenko said.
