Ukraine says Mariupol evacuation delayed by Russian ceasefire violations

Officials in the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, which is surrounded by Russian forces, said they were delaying an evacuation of the civilian population, accusing Moscow’s troops of breaking a ceasefire.

“Due to the fact that the Russian side does not adhere to the ceasefire and has continued shelling both of Mariupol itself and its environs and for security reasons, the evacuation of the civilian population has been postponed,” city officials said in a statement on social media.

Mariupol, a southern city of about 450,000 people on the Azov Sea, was scheduled to begin the evacuations at 0900 GMT, after Russian forces agreed to a ceasefire to allow civilians to leave the fighting.

“We ask all Mariupol residents to disperse and head to places where they can shelter. More information about the evacuation will be posted soon,” municipal officials wrote.

“At the moment, negotiations are underway with Russia to establish a ceasefire and ensure a safe humanitarian corridor,” the statement added.

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Meanwhile, PayPal has suspended services in Russia on Saturday morning.

THE COMPANY CONDEMNS RUSSIA’S MILITARY AGGRESSION IN UKRAINE

According to a report by Reuters, the U.S. payments company‘s chief executive, Dan Schulman, said it stands with the international community in condemning Russia’s violent military aggression in Ukraine.

“Under the current circumstances, we are suspending PayPal services in Russia,” Schulman told the agency.

PayPal will continue to process withdrawals for a “period of time.”

PAYPAL STOPPED ACCEPTING NEW USERS IN RUSSIA ON WEDNESDAY

This comes after the company stopped accepting new users in Russia on Wednesday.

PayPal, which only allows cross-border transactions by users in Russia, had already blocked some users and some of the country’s biggest banks following sanctions by the United States and other countries in response to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Russia has called the move a “special operation.”