Russian attack Ria Novosti: Russia promises ceasefire starting on Wednesday morning – also offers evacuation corridors to Russia from several Ukrainian cities

Abroad|The Russian attack

Russia offers evacuation corridors to Russia for residents of several Ukrainian cities, either directly or via Belarus. At the same time, Russia promises to start a ceasefire on Wednesday at 10 a.m. Moscow time, ie nine a.m. Finnish and Ukrainian time, to speed up evacuations.

According to the Russian state news agency Ria Novosti referring to the decision of the “Coordination Board for the Intergovernmental Humanitarian Response”. The news agency published the offer after nine pm Finnish time.

Ukraine comments on the offer were not immediately available and there were no guarantees as to the reliability of the offer. The Ukrainian authorities have in the past considered Russia’s offers of evacuations to Russia to be a mere mockery.

“The Russian side is reacting to the deterioration of the situation due to the arbitrariness of the nationalists,” Ria Novost’s news explains.

The “Coordination Staff” announcement does not say how long the ceasefire, which starts on Wednesday morning, is planned to last.

The news Russia offers residents of Kiev and its environs an escape route from fighting in Russia through the Belarusian city of Gomel. The same evacuation route is also offered to residents of the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv and Kharkiv.

Russia promises the people of Kharkov further transport to the cities of western Ukraine, “if the Ukrainian side agrees”.

Residents of the city of Sumy, on the other hand, will be offered access to both Poltava in Ukraine and Belgorod in Russia. According to the news agency, Sumy is the only city from which direct evacuation to more western Ukraine would be possible.

For residents of the siege of Mariupol, Russia offers access to the Rostov region of Russia across the separatist region of eastern Ukraine. The so-called “Donetsk People’s Republic” said earlier on Tuesday that it had evacuated 23 civilians from “Mariupol,” apparently a suburb or city feel to its own territory.