Arseniy Yatsenyuk summons operational headquarters meeting to consider situation in Mariupol

On Saturday, January 4, Prime Minister of Ukraine Arseniy Yatsenyuk chaired a meeting of the operational headquarters to tackle the situation in Mariupol.

In the meeting were participating Secretary of the National Security and Defense Council Olexandr Turchynov, Minister of Interior Arsen Avakov, Head of the State Emergency Service Serhii Bochkovsky, members of the Government of Ukraine, namely Infrastructure Minister of Ukraine Andrii Pyvovarsky.

Arseniy Yatsenyuk stressed the Russian terrorists had committed another attack on the civilian population, “According to eyewitnesses, it was a targeted attack and the targeted annihilation of civilians of Mariupol”.

The PM emphasized according to the preliminary data 16 persons had died, 86 had been injured.

He informed that, according to the mayor of Mariupol Yurii Khotlubey and local leadership of the Interior Ministry, all possible measures are being taken "to rescue the civilians, to provide first aid and resettle from eastern part of Mariupol to its western part primarily children, families".

"Now there are being transported and placed in kindergartens and schools in the western part of Mariupol those families who decided to move, as in that part [in the eastern part of the town – ed.] there is no electricity, no water", he stressed.

 Arseniy Yatsenyuk addressed a head of regional department of the Internal Affairs Ministry with a commission to ensure, "Security in the town, assistance to the citizens in their evacuation from the eastern to its western part, the control along the perimeter of the town, because there terrorists can be sent as well".

The Prime Minister also instructed the mayor of Makiyivka and the head of local MIA department "to address the citizens through television, radio, to inform where are there hospitals, places to move on, where they can get food, warm clothes, water", "Constant communication with people."