Ukraine Crisis | Cease-fire attempt fails amid Russian shelling

LVIV, Ukraine (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned Saturday that Ukrainian statehood is in jeopardy during a rambling speech from Moscow, while a promised cease-fire in the port city of Mariupol collapsed amid scenes of terror in the besieged town.

The struggle to enforce the temporary cease-fire in Mariupol and the eastern city of Volnovakha showed the fragility of efforts to stop the fighting across Ukraine as the number of people fleeing the country reached 1.4 million in just 10 days after Russian forces invaded.

Ukrainian officials said Russian artillery fire and airstrikes had prevented residents from leaving before the agreed-to evacuations got underway. 

Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the effort and claimed the actions of Ukraine's leadership called into question the country's future as an independent state.

“If this happens, it will be entirely on their conscience,” Putin said.

Earlier, the Russian defence ministry said it had agreed with Ukraine on evacuation routes out of the two cities.

Before the announcement, Russia's days-long assault had caused growing misery in Mariupol, where AP journalists witnessed doctors make unsuccessful attempts to save the lives of wounded children, pharmacies ran bare and hundreds of thousands of people faced food and water shortages in freezing weather.

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