Russia declares temporary ceasefire to allow Mariupol and Volnovakha residents leave city.

The Russia military is observing a temporary ceasefire in two areas of Ukraine to allow civilians to evacuate, Russian state media reported Saturday, the first breakthrough in allowing civilians to escape the war.

Russia defence ministry announced a partial ceasefire to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha. Russia’s defence ministry said the troops will stop firing at 10.00 AM Moscow time. The vaguely worded statement did not make clear how long the routes would remain open.

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 A top official in Mariupol told the Associated Press that the ceasefire there is to last until 4 p.m. (2 pm GMT) and an evacuation along a humanitarian corridor would begin at 11 a.m. (9 am GMT) Pavlo Kirilenko, head of the Donetsk military-civil administration that includes Mariupol, said the humanitarian corridor would extend from the city to Zaporizhzhia.

Around 500 Indians have been waiting outside Kharkiv for days, with many students stranded at Pisochyn after walking 11 km in the absence of trains. The Indian Embassy in Ukraine said that a “vast majority” have been evacuated and that efforts are ongoing.

Sources: indianexpress.com