War in Ukraine: Russians announce ceasefire in Mariupol and begin to leave Chernobyl

Posted on 03/30/2022 at 22:34
Study time: 2 minutes

IHe announced on Wednesday evening that the Russian Defense Ministry would establish a “silent regime” in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol, a local ceasefire, from 10:00 a.m. (0700 GMT) on Thursday.

According to the Ministry, the move will enable the opening of a humanitarian corridor to the Ukrainian city of Zaporoshi. “We propose to hold this event with the direct participation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross to make this humanitarian operation a success,” the ministry said in a statement.

The Russian Ministry of Defense requests that the kyiv guarantee the “unconditional respect” of this local ceasefire by a written notice sent to the Russian side, UNHCR and ICRC before 06:00 (Belgian time 05:00) on Thursday.

Moscow calls on the Ukrainian military to ensure the safety of bus convoys traveling on the route agreed to by this corridor.

Ukraine and Russia have repeatedly accused each other of sabotaging the eviction of Mariupol residents.

How the Russians exit Chernobyl

A senior Pentagon official said on Wednesday that Russian troops had begun to withdraw from the Chernobyl nuclear base on the first day of the invasion of Ukraine on February 24.

The Russian military has begun retreating from Gostomel’s airport in northwest Kiev, and the senior official told reporters anonymously that “Chernobyl is another area where people are leaving Chernobyl to move to Belarus and change themselves.”

“We think they’re leaving. I can not tell if they’re all gone,” he added.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has stopped receiving live data from Chernobyl since March 9. He was concerned on Sunday about the revenue shortfall of staff at the plant since March 20.