Russia announces cease-fire to conduct ‘humanitarian operation’
Russia today declared a cease-fire to conduct a “humanitarian operation” starting at 12:30 pm India time. The Russian embassy in India released a list of “humanitarian corridors” that it is ready to provide. It includes corridors from Sumy city in northeast Ukraine, where around 600 Indian students have been stranded and weren’t able to leave despite repeated efforts.
India had raised the issue at the UN Security Council meeting on Ukraine yesterday. Ambassador TS Tirumurti, India’s permanent representative at the UN, said that India is “deeply concerned that despite our repeated urgings” to both Russia and Ukraine, the “safe corridor for our students stranded in Sumy did not materialise.”
“In order to conduct a humanitarian operation from 12.30 IST on March 8, 2022, Russia declares cease-fire and is ready to provide humanitarian corridors,” the Russian embassy in India tweeted.
Russia has announced humanitarian corridors from Sumy by two routes to Poltava and to “the territory of the Russian Federation to Belgorod – then by air, rail and road transport to selected destinations or temporary accommodation, in the southern direction – in agreement with the Ukrainian side”.