Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Olha Stefanishyna calls on PACE President Tiny Kox and PACE Assembly Secretary General Despina Chatzivassiliou-Tsovilis to influence Russia to open humanitarian corridors.

"Olha Stefanishyna noted that Russia began the second phase of its military aggression, shelling and actually destroying Ukrainian settlements. She stressed that such actions should be qualified as acts of terrorism aimed at intimidating the population. Unarmed people who were under the gun of Russian tanks were left without water, food and medical assistance. It is critically important to open humanitarian corridors to settlements being under siege and shelling. The delivery of humanitarian aid is blocked, at the same time, Russia does not allow civilians to safely evacuate," the official said.

Stefanishyna said that Ukraine had already sent a request to the Red Cross asking to negotiate with the Russian side to open humanitarian corridors.

"Russia must fulfill its obligations under the Geneva Convention. The Council of Europe was the place where the international framework for the protection of human rights took shape. These rights must be protected now. I also urge to record all human rights violations committed by the Kremlin in Ukraine," she stressed.

The Deputy Prime Minister called on PACE to use all tools to protect the civilian population and to oblige Russia to ensure the safe passage of humanitarian aid.

She also noted that more than 9,000 Russian soldiers have already died in Ukraine and the Russian authorities refuse to take the bodies of the dead, and the whole world should know about this problem.