Russia-Ukraine war: Civilians flee as humanitarian corridors open in several Ukrainian cities
Kiev (Ukraine), March 9: Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk on Wednesday confirmed the opening of humanitarian corridors in Enerhodar, Mariupol, Zaporizhia, Sumy, Poltava and other Ukrainian cities, amid escalating combat with Russia.
Enerhodar's head, earlier in the day, announced the opening of a humanitarian corridor on Wednesday in order to evacuate residents to Zaporizhia. Meanwhile, the local authorities in Bucha stated that residents of the city and Vorzel will be evacuated to Kiev on Wednesday.
"From 09:00 [local time, 07:00 GMT], a ceasefire will be introduced on the following routes: Enerhodar - Zaporizhia, Sumy - Poltava, Izyum - Lozova, Mariupol - Zaporizhia, Volnovakha - Pokrovsk, Vorzel, Borodyanka, Bucha, Irpin, Hostomel (Kyiv region) - Kyiv," Vereshchuk stated.
The orphanage in Vorzel, which houses 55 children and staff, will also be evacuated, according to the official.
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As per media reports, Russia announced a humanitarian ceasefire in Ukraine on Wednesday morning to enable the evacuation of civilians.
After previously accusing each other of disrupting humanitarian corridors, the announcement comes as a surprise. The Russians have stated that corridors from Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv, Mariupol and Zaporizhzhia are accessible.
According to figures, more than 2 million Ukrainians have fled their country in the 12 days since Russia began its invasion. It took just a single week for the number of refugees to reach 1 million on Thursday, which has been increasing exponentially as Russian forces have ramped up their shelling of critical and civilian infrastructure.
The 2 million refugees, including the majority of women and children, represent about 4% of Ukraine's population, while at least half of them are children, according to UNICEF.
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-PTC News
