According to a Russian Defense Ministry statement, Russia has declared a partial ceasefire in two Ukrainian cities to allow civilians stranded there to flee to safety.
According to reports, the ceasefire is being observed in Mariupol and Volnovakha, two South-Eastern Ukrainian cities located in Donetsk—one of the two separatist-controlled regions at the heart of Ukraine’s conflict, along with Luhansk.
Since the beginning of Russian military aggression, both regions have seen intense fighting.
The ceasefire went into effect at 7 a.m. GMT today and is expected to last several days, allowing hundreds of thousands of residents of the two cities to flee their homes and seek refuge elsewhere.
Taking to social media, the administrations of Mariupol and Volnovakha announced that the invading Russian forces had opened humanitarian corridors to allow people to flee the conflict.
Officials instructed citizens with private vehicles to assist one another in fleeing as much as possible and strictly instructed them to leave cities only via the evacuation routes designated by Russian forces.
For those without resources, the administrations of both cities will operate special buses that will run from various points until the evacuation of all citizens is completed.
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