Russia announces ceasefire in 4 cities for the second time in Ukraine, allowing stranded citizens to go

New Delhi : The Russian armed forces said on Monday it would open humanitarian corridors in some Ukrainian cities from 10 A.M. (Moscow time, around 12.30 P.M.) to allow civilians to visit “at their personal request”. State media reported that French President Emmanuel Macron met with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin.

In a statement, the Russian military said, “In view of the catastrophic humanitarian situation and its rapid escalation in the cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy and Mariupol, as well as at the personal request of the President of the French Republic, Emmanuel Macron, the Russian Armed Forces called for a ceasefire. announced and opened the humanitarian corridors.”

The BBC said the four mentioned cities are currently under a ‘significant’ Russian offensive operation. However, Ukrainian officials have not yet confirmed this development. Over the weekend, two attempts to open a route to allow civilians to be evacuated from Mariupol in the country’s southeast failed, the BBC reported. Ukrainian officials said this was because Russia continued to shell the city during hours of the agreed-upon ceasefire.