Russian military on Monday declared ceasefire in Ukraine and is set to open humanitarian corridors for citizens to leave at 1000 Moscow time (0700 GMT) (12.30 pm IST).
The corridors, which will also be opened from the cities of Kharkiv, Mariupol and Sumy, are being set up at the personal request of French President Emmanuel Macron and in view of the current situation in those cities, it said.
Russia's invasion of Ukraine, now in its twelfth day, has seen more than 1.5 million people flee the country in what the UN has called Europe's fastest-growing refugee crisis since World War II. Vladimir Putin has said his campaign in Ukraine will not end until Kyiv stops fighting.
Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24 and has been launching strikes across the country ever since. This has led to several hundred civilian deaths and more than a million people fleeing the country to neighbouring nations.
Ukraine and Russia held a third round of talks to resolve the crisis over the weekend.
(To receive our E-paper on whatsapp daily, please click here. To receive it on Telegram, please click here. We permit sharing of the paper's PDF on WhatsApp and other social media platforms.)
