Status: 03/08/2022 10:37 a.m
A glimmer of hope for the people of Ukraine: Russia says it has stopped shelling five cities, and the Ukrainian government has confirmed that the first escape corridors have been opened. Buses should already be leaving in Sumy.
According to the government, the first escape corridors for civilians from embattled cities have been opened in Ukraine. According to a representative of the Ukrainian Presidential Office, evacuations are underway in the northeastern city of Sumy and in Irpin near the capital Kyiv.
Earlier, Russian and Ukrainian officials agreed to set up corridors to allow civilians to escape from some cities besieged by Russian forces. The Russian army therefore stopped firing at 10 a.m. Moscow time (8 a.m. CET), reports the Interfax news agency, citing the Ministry of Defense in Moscow.
Corridors have been opened for five cities, it said. In the capital Kyiv and the major cities of Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and the particularly hard-fought port city of Mariupol, people should have the opportunity to get to safety.
Russia again offers ceasefire in five Ukrainian cities
Mathea Schülke, WDR, daily news 09:00 a.m., March 8th, 2022
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk initially confirmed that an agreement had been reached with Russia and the Red Cross for the city of Sumy, which was valid until 8:00 p.m. (CET). The route leads via Holubiwka, Lochwyzja and Lubny to the central Ukrainian city of Poltava, 170 kilometers away.
The evacuation has begun, reported the Ukrainian agency Unian in its Telegram channel and showed in a video clip departing buses and cars with civilians.
conflicting parties as a source
Information on the course of the war, shelling and casualties provided by official bodies of the Russian and Ukrainian conflict parties cannot be directly checked by an independent body in the current situation.
200,000 people want to get out of Mariupol
The cessation of fighting is considered a prerequisite for the functioning of escape corridors in the contested cities. One focus is the port city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, which is besieged by Russia. According to the Red Cross, 200,000 people are waiting there to get out of the city via various routes.
In Mariupol, this is the fourth attempt to bring people to safety. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj blamed Russia for the three previously failed attempts. People are to be taken out of the city by bus and car. According to the Ukrainian authorities, collection points will also be set up for this purpose.
Criticism of Russia or Belarus as an escape option
Kyiv had previously rejected escape corridors proposed by Moscow, which would have taken people almost exclusively to Russia and Belarus. Russia wants to take the civilians hostage, an adviser to Ukraine’s Interior Ministry claimed.
The German Red Cross and the UN had also raised concerns and called for safe conduct for the fleeing people.