From the Liveblog of
Sunday, March 6, 2022
Russian-backed separatists says evacuation corridors for 2 Ukrainian cities to reopen
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LVIV, Ukraine — Russian forces will observe a temporary ceasefire in two Ukrainian cities, an official in one of the country’s two pro-Russia separatist regions says after an agreement to allow civilians to evacuate collapsed a day earlier amid continued shelling.
Eduard Basurin, the head of the military in separatist-held Donetsk territory, says safe passage corridors for residents of the besieged port city of Mariupol and the city of Volnovakha will reopen today. He doesn’t say for how long nor whether a ceasefire will accompany the evacuation.
Ukrainian officials confirmed that evacuations from Mariupol would take place starting from 12 p.m. local time. Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional military administration, said a ceasefire would be in effect between 10 a.m. and 9 p.m.
A promised ceasefire in Mariupol failed amid scenes of terror yesterday. Ukrainian officials said the evacuation was aborted because the city remained under attack.
Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukraine for the failure and warned that the country’s ongoing resistance since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on February 24 is putting the country’s future as a nation in jeopardy.
The Times of Israel Community.