Updated 1125
Russia said on Monday (March 7) that six humanitarian corridors would be opened around Ukrainian cities to allow civilians to escape. “Detailed information about the humanitarian corridors was given to the Ukrainian side in advance,” Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov said.
Russia also said that for the period of humanitarian corridors opening Russian Armed Forces of Russian Federation will be continually and objectively monitoring the evacuation process by using unmanned aerial vehicles.”
Earlier:
March 7 (Reuters) – The Russian military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities including the capital Kyiv at 1000 Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Monday, Russia’s defence ministry said.
The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron and in view of the current situation in those cities, it said.
Those who leave Kyiv will be airlifted to Russia, the ministry said, adding that it would use drones to monitor the evacuation and “attempts by the Ukrainian side to deceive Russia and the whole civilised world … are useless this time”.
Two planned evacuation operations from Mariupol and the nearby city of Volnovakha have failed over the last two days as the sides accused each other of failing to stop shooting and shelling.
(Reporting by Reuters; Editing by Christopher Cushing and Raju Gopalakrishnan)
