Agreement reached on ceasefire in Lugansk
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Ukraine announces reaching an agreement to open nine humanitarian corridors after weeks of halted evacuation operations.
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Agreement reached on a ceasefire in Lugansk
According to Reuters, the Governor of Lugansk, Sergiy Gaidai, has announced that an agreement has been reached and humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians will be opened.
In a Telegram broadcast, Haidai said the ceasefire would be implemented at 9 am local time.
Authorities in the People's Republics of Lugansk and Donetsk announced that the Ukrainian forces continue to target civilian areas to the east, confirming more deaths and injuries.
Last week, Russia's Defense Ministry also announced that the Lugansk People's Republic troops have liberated more than 90% of the territory of the republic with the support of the Russian Armed Forces.
"With the fire support of the Russian armed forces, LPR troops have liberated more than 90% of the republic's territory. At present, the LPR units are destroying scattered nationalist groups on the southern outskirts of the liberated settlement Rubizhne," Konashenkov told reporters.
The official added that the troops managed to advance 16 kilometers (10 miles) over the past day and take several settlements of the Donetsk region under control.
Ukraine announces 9 humanitarian corridors to evacuate civilians
Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk announced Wednesday that an agreement was reached to evacuate civilians trapped in Ukrainian towns and cities through nine humanitarian corridors.
Speaking of a failed agreement with Russia to create a safe passage from Mariupol, she stated that those who wish to leave the besieged city will be able to find transportation in neighboring Berdyansk.
The city council of Mariupol confirmed that 4,367 people fled the city and were evacuated from neighboring Berdyansk to Zaporizhia.
On his part, the Kremlin Spokesperson Dmitry Peskov denied rumors in the media about the lack of humanitarian corridors, saying all the allegations were lies and that Russia has opened humanitarian corridors for the exit of residents but nationalists are not allowing them out.
On Tuesday, National Defense Management Center chief Mikhail Mizintsev announced that the Ukrainian neo-Nazis continued to hold more than 7,000 citizens of 25 foreign countries as hostages and human shields.
"So far, neo-Nazis in Ukraine have more than 7,000 citizens from 21 countries as hostages, and they are using them as human shields," the official revealed.
Russian MoD calls on humanitarian organizations to assist in evacuating Mariupol
The head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Mikhail Mizintsev, said on Sunday, that the Russian Defense Ministry has urged UN, OSCE, and Red Cross representatives to assist with the humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians from Ukraine's Mariupol.
"To fulfill this task [evacuation], we are also sending an official appeal to the UN, the OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations, inviting their representatives to accompany this humanitarian operation, as they say, directly 'on the ground,' that is, in the city Mariupol, as part of Russian and Ukrainian humanitarian convoys," Mizintsev said.
He also stated that Russia demands an official written response from Ukraine to all of its humanitarian proposals for ensuring the safety of Mariupol residents and the city's infrastructure by 05:00 local time on Monday.
It is worth mentioning that Russia has constantly opened humanitarian corridors allowing civilians to leave Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities in routes agreed upon with Ukraine.
