KABUL (BNA) Russia’s military will hold fire and open humanitarian corridors in several Ukrainian cities starting Monday.
The limited cease-fire comes a day after hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians attempting to flee to safety were forced to shelter from Russian shelling that pummeled cities in Ukraine’s center, north and south.
Ahead of a third round of talks planned for Monday, the Russian Defense Ministry said a cease-fire would start in the morning, and safe passages would open for civilians from the capital of Kyiv, the southern port city of Mariupol, and the cities of Kharkiv and Sumy. Some of the evacuation routes, however, would funnel civilians toward Russia or its ally Belarus — unlikely destinations for many Ukrainians who would prefer to head toward countries on the western and southern borders.
But despite the announcement, Russia’s armed forces continued to pummel Ukrainian cities, with multiple rocket launchers hitting residential buildings. Officials from both sides planned a third round of talks Monday.
A senior Ukrainian official rejected those proposals.
It wasn’t immediately clear if fighting would stop beyond the areas mentioned or when the cease-fire would end. Hopes were dim that the latest round of talks would yield any breakthroughs.
The Russian invasion has also pushed 1.5 million people to flee the country, creating what the head of the U.N. refugee agency called, “the fastest-growing refugee crisis in Europe since World War II.”
Bakhtar News Agency
