In Ukraine, the morning of Monday, March 7, has come with news of the killing of the mayor of Hostomel, near Kyiv. In the south-eastern oblast of Zaporizhzhia, six towns have been taken by Russian forces, as Moscow has promised a humanitarian corridor to Russia to civilians in strategic cities defending themselves against the invaders, Ukrainian public media Ukrinform and British public broadcaster BBC report.
Ukrinform announced the killing of the head of the Hostomel community, Yuriy Ilyich Prylypko, quoting Hostomel Town Council. «The head of the Hostomel community, Yuriy Ilyich Prylypko, was killed while handing out bread to the hungry and medicine to the sick, comforting the burnt and consoling the desperate. For this, the occupiers shot him dead, along with his comrades-in-arms Ruslan Karpenko and Ivan Zoria,» the statement unveiled.
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In Zaporizhzhia oblast, the towns of Polohy, Vasylivka, Tokmak, Enerhodar, Berdyansk and Melitopol are temporarily occupied, according to the military administration of the south-eastern region. It added that near the settlements of Huliaipole, Orikhiv and in the direction of Vasylivka-Balabino, the Armed Forces of Ukraine are conducting a defensive operation and called on local population to join territorial defence forces, take up arms and dig trenches.
Russian Defence Ministry, which is organising the military campaign against Ukraine, has stated it would open new humanitarian corridors to allow Ukrainian civilians to evacuate from key cities. The corridor from Kyiv would lead to Russian ally Belarus, and civilians from Kharkiv will only have a corridor leading to Russia and corridors from the cities of Mariupol and Sumy will lead both to other Ukrainian cities and to Russia. Ukraine has, however, deemed the corridors unacceptable as Ukrainian citizens should be allowed to leave their homes through Ukrainian territory, BBC reports quoting AFP and RIA Novosti.