Ukrainian authorities have said they have agreed with Russia to create a humanitarian corridor to evacuate civilians from the port city of Mariupol, the first such agreement since Saturday, AFP reported, citing Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk.
“We managed to reach a preliminary agreement (with the Russians) on a humanitarian corridor for women, children and the elderly,” Vereshchuk said.
The corridor will lead to the southern city of Zaporozhye.
Ukraine hopes to send 90 buses to Mariupol to evacuate about 6,000 women, children and the elderly, Mayor Vadym Boychenko was quoted as saying by Reuters on television.
He said about 100,000 civilians remained in the city, and tens of thousands had died in the Russian siege.
A total of 300,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated through humanitarian corridors since the start of the war on February 24, according to Ukrainian authorities.