The Russian defence ministry has announced a ceasefire in Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol to allow civilians to be evacuated, starting on Thursday morning.

"For this humanitarian operation to succeed, we propose to carry it out with the direct participation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross," the ministry said in a statement quoted by Agence France-Press on Wednesday.

The humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia - through the Russian-controlled port town of Berdiansk - will open at 1000 local time (0700 GMT)

Ukraine has not commented on the announcement.

Previous attempts to establish a ceasefire in Mariupol have collapsed amid accusations of bad faith from both sides. Russia has also been accused of forcibly relocating thousands of civilians to Russia or Russian-controlled areas.

The announcement comes as new satellite photos showed the destruction caused by the shelling.

The images, released by the Earth observation company Maxar, showed that residential areas have been reduced to rubble and highlighted Russian artillery cannons in firing positions on the outskirts of the city.

Source: BBC

BDST: 1224 HRS, MAR 31, 2022
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