Even how Russia announced a ceasefire on Monday morning and the opening of humanitarian corridors in a number of areas, its armed forces continue to shell Ukrainian cities.at the same time, multiple launch rocket systems hit residential buildings.
The announcement of a limited ceasefire came a day after hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian civilians trying to flee were forced to take cover from Russian shelling of cities in central, northern and southern Ukraine. Officials from both sides scheduled a third round of talks on Monday.
Russian troops continued their offensive, opening fire on the city of Nikolaev, 480 kilometers south of Kyiv.This was announced on Monday morning by the General Staff of Ukraine. Rescuers said that they were extinguishing fires in residential areas that arose as a result of rocket attacks.
Shelling also continued in the suburbs of Kyiv, including in Irpin, which has been cut off from electricity, water and heating for three days.from.
“Russia continues to carry out missile, bomb and artillery strikes on the cities and towns of Ukraine,” the General Staff said. “The invaders continue to use the airfield network of Belarus to carry out airstrikes on Ukraine.”
According to the General Staff, the Russians also attacked humanitarian corridors, took women and children hostage, and planted weapons in residential areas of cities.
The Russian task force said a ceasefire would begin on Monday morning, the 12th day of the war, for civilians in Kyiv, the southern port city of Mariupol, Kharkov, Ukraine’s second largest city, and Sumy.
It was not immediately clear whether the fighting would stop outside the areas mentioned in the task force’s statement, or when the ceasefire would end.
The announcement follows two failed attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol, from where 200,000 people have tried to escape, according to the International Committee of the Red Cross. Russia and Ukraine exchanged blame for the failure. The Russian task force said the ceasefire on Monday and the reopening of corridors was announced at the request of French President Emmanuel Macron, who spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday.
The evacuation routes published by the Russian RIA Novosti with reference to the Ministry of Defense show that civilians will be able to travel to Russia and Belarus. According to the task force, Russian forces will enforce the ceasefire with the help of drones.