Russian and Ukrainian forces have on Tuesday, March 8, ceased warfare around the north-eastern city of Sumy to allow civilians, who have been affected by 12 days of Russia’s war in Ukraine, to flee deeper in Ukrainian territory, Ukrinform reports.
The first humanitarian corridor was opened with the help of the International Red Cross on Tuesday. The route of evacuation is along the Sumy-Holubivka-Lokhvytsia-Lubny-Poltava route.
It was organised with a column of buses, followed by civilians in personal vehicles.
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Ukraine also called on Russia to to immediately agree on humanitarian corridors for Kyiv, Kharkiv, the Kyiv and Kharkiv regions, as well as Volnovakha and Mariupol.
«We also sent to the Russian side and the Red Cross the developed routes for humanitarian corridors: Volnovakha-Zaporizhia, Mariupol-Zaporizhia, Kyiv and the Kyiv region in the direction of western Ukraine, as well as Kharkiv and the Kharkiv region in the direction of western Ukraine. We urge Russia to agree on these routes immediately, inform the International Committee of the Red Cross about this and ensure a permanent ceasefire on these routes,» Vereshchuk Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories Iryna Vereshchuk stated, as quoted by Ukrinform.