• Ivan Fedorov, which lies in Russian-occupied territory, said that “evacuation from the occupied territories is the biggest problem.
• Fedorov, who is not in Melitopol, reported the deaths of five people in recent days who were waiting to leave.
• Russians are using civilians as human shields in Melitopol and have spent the last three days transferring large amounts of weapons

A Russian checkpoint in Zaporizhzhia’s southeastern region has become the only relatively safe way for Ukrainians to try to flee southern occupied areas and enter Ukrainian-held territory.

However, recent videos from the area around the checkpoint show hundreds of vehicles parked and unable to cross.

The mayor of Melitopol Ivan Fedorov, which lies in Russian-occupied territory, said  Tuesday that “evacuation from the occupied territories is the biggest problem. Evacuation is almost impossible today.”

People were attempting to flee the occupied territories of Kherson, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Luhansk via the checkpoint at Vasylivka, he said, with some having been on the road for seven days, sleeping in their cars.

“Today, more than 5,000 people, over 1,200 cars have gathered there,” he added.

Fedorov, who is not in Melitopol, reported the deaths of five people in recent days who were waiting to leave. He didn’t go into detail about the deaths.

“People can’t even go and buy food for themselves. The only condition under which the Russians allow people to go to buy food in the city is to leave all the documents (passport, driver’s license etc) with them and then collect them after returning.”

The videos show people sleeping in their cars and tents and crowding into a gas station in the middle of the summer. Some people are sleeping outside.

A large grass fire is seen burning adjacent to the highway near the checkpoint in one video. Large amounts of trash have also accumulated around the checkpoint.

According to Fedorov, the Russians are using civilians as human shields in Melitopol and have spent the last three days transferring large amounts of weaponry through the temporarily occupied territories.

“Yesterday, three convoys of equipment passed through the city of Melitopol in the direction of Kherson. These are a hundred units of heavy weapons, more than 20 tanks, landing vehicles and so on,” he said.

Fedorov went on to say that the armour was heading west to Kherson, where a Ukrainian counter-attack against Russian defences is taking shape.

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