At a press briefing, the senior official reported that the Ukrainian and Russian military forces agreed to cease fire from 09:00 hours, local time, to 21:00 hours, local time.
She explained that during that time, civilians are being moved along the following routes: Energodar-Zaporozhye, Sumy-Poltava, Mariupol-Zaporozhye, Volnovakha-Pokrovsk and Izyum-Lozovaya, as well as from the communities of Vorzel, Bucha, Borodyanka, Irpen and Gostomel to Kiev.
On Wednesday, the Russian Ministry of Defense expressed its willingness to establish the ceasefire to open the humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol, as well as in other cities in agreement with the Ukrainian side.
Russia’s National Defense Control Center head, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, said that the decision will be implemented given the humanitarian situation “caused by the nationalists’ atrocities and lawlessness, and in order to ensure the safety of civilians and foreign citizens.”
Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the authorities of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR) requested help to repel the aggression from Kiev.
Earlier, Moscow recognized the independence and sovereignty of both territories and signed treaties of friendship, cooperation and mutual assistance with the heads of the DPR and LPR, including establishing diplomatic relations and providing military aid.
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