Russia said Monday it will open humanitarian corridors to allow the evacuation of civilians from several Ukrainian cities experiencing heavy fighting, including the capital Kyiv and the besieged port city of Mariupol.
The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that Russian forces, for humanitarian purposes, are declaring a ‘regime of silence’ from 10:00 am on 7 March and the opening of humanitarian corridors.
It listed evacuation routes from the capital Kyiv as well as Mariupol, Kharkiv and Sumy — all of which have been under heavy Russian attacks in recent days.
Moscow said the decision was taken after a personal request by French President Emmanuel Macron to Russia’s Vladimir Putin.
The pair spoke on Sunday in their fourth conversation since Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24th.
Moscow said it had informed the UN, the OSCE and other international organisations of the corridors and called on Ukraine to “strictly fulfil all the conditions” of the evacuations.
In the meantime, the International sanctions intended to punish Moscow have so far done little to slow the invasion, and Washington said it was now discussing a ban on Russian oil imports with Europe.
The comments sent the price of Brent crude soaring to near a 14-year high, with markets in Tokyo and Hong Kong slumping.
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