Russia Announces Truce; 66,000 Ukrainians Return Home To Fight

Russia said its forces had stopped firing near two Ukrainian cities on Saturday, Mar. 5, 2022, to allow safe passage to civilians fleeing from the fighting, but was continuing its broad offensive in Ukraine, where the capital Kyiv came under renewed assault, Pavel Polityuk and Aleksandar Vasovic reported for Reuters.

Photo Insert: An abandoned Russian tank in Konotop

The Russian defense ministry said its units had opened humanitarian corridors near the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha which were encircled by its troops, Russia's RIA news agency reported. In Mariupol, citizens would be allowed to leave during a five-hour window, it quoted the city's officials as saying.

The Ukrainian government said the plan was to evacuate around 200,000 people from Mariupol and 15,000 from Volnovakha, and the Red Cross is the ceasefire's guarantor.

There was no immediate confirmation that firing had stopped and it was not clear if the ceasefire would be extended to other areas, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine entered into its 10th day.

The Russian defense ministry said a broad offensive would continue in Ukraine, RIA said. Aid agencies have warned of an unfolding humanitarian disaster as food, water, and medical supplies run short and refugees stream into western Ukraine and neighboring European countries.

A Ukrainian negotiator, Mykhailo Podolyak, had said on Thursday that a second round of ceasefire talks with Russia had not yielded the results Kyiv hoped for, but both sides had reached an understanding on creating humanitarian corridors even as Ukrainian relief workers said Russian troops prevented 19 trucks loaded with food, medicine, water, and other supplies had been stopped from distributing them.

Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov said 66,224 Ukrainian men had returned from abroad to join the fight against Russia's invasion. "These are 12 more combat and motivated brigades! Ukrainians, we are invincible," Reznikov said in an online post.

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