Parties involved in Russia-Ukraine crisis agree to open 7 humanitarian corridors
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Sunday that the parties involved in the Russia-Ukraine conflict agreed to open another seven humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians, as the crisis has ruined the lives of millions of people.
Vereshchuk said on Sunday that the relevant parties reached an agreement on humanitarian corridors on the same day, and the Ukrainian side will continue to evacuate people from Mariupol and Kyiv.
Kyrylo Tymoshenko, Deputy Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, posted on social media on Saturday that Ukraine evacuated more than 6,600 residents from Kyiv, Mariupol and Luhansk through humanitarian channels on the day.
Mikhail Mezentsev, Director of the Russian Defense Management Center, issued a statement on Sunday saying that the Russian army will open the east-west humanitarian channel in Mariupol from 10:00 Moscow time on Monday. Nationalist militants will be allowed to leave Mariupol between 10:00 and 12:00 that day, but they must not carry any weapons, said the statement.
Mezentsev said in the statement that at present, about 130,000 civilians and 184 foreign citizens from six countries are still being held hostage by the Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol, with civilians being killed every day. Russia urges the nationalists to lay down their arms.
Filippo Grandi, United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, said Sunday on social media that the conflict between Russia and Ukraine has displaced at least 10 million people in Ukraine, including those still in Ukraine and those who have left the country. According to the data from the UN Refugee Agency, about 3.39 million people in Ukraine had left for neighbouring countries as of Saturday.