Ukraine: The Greek convoy of Mariupol was shot

LAST UPDATE 22:13

The procession of cars, with staff of the Consulate General of Mariupol, the journalists who were housed in its premises, as well as Greek citizens who wished to leave, arrived in Zaporizhia, according to diplomatic sources. In particular, the procession, under Ambassador Francesco Costelleno, consists of 21 cars and 82 people, as previously reported by the same sources. It is noted that they left by road, by their own means, from Mariupol this morning through the humanitarian corridor to exit to the West of Ukraine.

Describing to ERT the dramatic hours during the 230 km route, Ambassador Frangiskos Kostellenos said that they faced difficulties that they were expecting anyway. We were simply surprised by the magnitude and diversity of the difficulties. Mangous village instead of turning north at that point, towards the road to Zaporizhia.When we went there, we saw that the bridge leading to the village was damaged, we went back, we tried to find another way out.We lost too much time, we lost too much a lot of time and during the checks in the centers where the soldiers were “. Asked about the information that the convoy was shot, the ambassador said that there was a shot from a distance, we were not in danger, it was a warning shot, in the air, in all probability. “After the moment we had to make a U-turn, when we found that the bridge in Mangus was damaged, we tried to enter the village of Mangus from another route, we moved very slowly and carefully, because it was all out of plan, and at some point we heard a I did not realize exactly where the bullet hit, so I think it was in the air, warning. At no point was there danger. It was just a warning shot to make us go back. And we made a U-turn. we continued after other diversions and controls and ended up around 18:00 in Zaporizhia “. The ambassador then said that when he completes his mission, he will return to Mariupol and organize another evacuation mission.

Mega’s envoy Giannis Charamidis broadcast on the channel’s main news bulletin that the car in which the channel’s crew was traveling received “warning bursts” from a distance at the beginning of the convoy. As he said, “no one marked us to kill us, and a fragment of those bullets found the tire of our car. We had to change the tire” and that they are all in good health.

Tonight, according to diplomatic sources, they will spend the night in Zaporizhia and tomorrow morning, depending on the conditions, the procession will move to the border with Moldova, where there will be a staircase of the Bucharest embassy under Ambassador Sofia Grammata for to provide them with every possible assistance.

Consul General in Mariupol Manolis Androulakis remains at the Consulate General of Mariupol, which will continue to operate.