Russia declares ceasefire in Ukraine

The Russian Ministry of Defense has said it is halting its offensive at 10am local time on Saturday so residents can leave the encircled Azov Sea port city of Mariupol.

Another humanitarian corridor was established for the nearby town of Volnovakha, also controlled by the Ukrainians.

Moscow said that safe passages had been agreed on with Ukraine. Russians and Ukrainians met for a second round of peace talks in Belarus on Thursday.

Mikhail Podolyak, a member of Ukraine’s negotiation team, confirmed earlier that the two sides had spoken about the possibility of temporarily ceasing hostilities in order for civilians to evacuate.

Russia attacked Ukraine last week, arguing that it was defending the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and the neighboring Lugansk People’s Republic (LPR), which broke away from Ukraine shortly after the 2014 coup in Kiev. Moscow also said it was seeking the “demilitarization and denazification” of the country. Meanwhile, Ukraine said the attack was entirely unprovoked and has appealed to the international community for help.