Russia's defence ministry Monday announced a ceasefire around the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to allow a civilian evacuation from the industrial area that has been sheltering the remaining Ukrainian resistance in the port city, AFP reported.
Giving information about the ceasefire the ministry said, "Russian troops from 14:00 Moscow time (1100 GMT) on April 25, 2022, will unilaterally stop any hostilities, withdraw units to a safe distance and ensure the withdrawal of."
The ministry added that to begin the evacuation process, the Ukrainian side should show readiness by "raising white flags" at Azovstal.
"The civilians will be taken in any direction they have chosen," the ministry said.
According to the ministry, this information will be communicated to those inside Azovstal "via radio channels" every 30 minutes.
Russian President Vladimir Putin last week had ordered Russian forces to blockade the Mariupol steelworks rather than storming the area. Putin called for Russian troops to blockade the Azovstal steelworks – the Ukrainian army’s last stronghold in the besieged city – "so that a fly can’t get through."
Meanwhile, Russia on Monday struck Ukraine’s Kremenchuk oil refinery with long-range missiles and also hit military installations there, the Russian defence ministry reported. "The armed forces of the Russian Federation continue the special military operation in Ukraine," Reuters quoted the ministry as saying.
In another incident, Russia today fired rockets at two towns in Ukraine's central Vinnytsia region on Monday, causing an unspecified number of deaths and injuries, regional Governor Serhiy Borzov said, Reuters reported.
"Today, Vinnytsia region is once again under rocket fire (in) the towns of Zhmerynka and Kozyatyn. The enemy is attempting to hit critical infrastructure," Borzov said in a video released on the Telegram messaging app.
Russia did not immediately comment on his remarks.
(with agency inputs)
