As the war intensifies in Ukraine, Russia has declared a ceasefire to open humanitarian corridors for evacuating civilians, as thousands of them remain stuck in war zones.
"Today, on 5 March at 10 am Moscow time, The Russian side declares a ceasefire and opens humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha," the news agency quoted the Russian defence ministry as saying.
The Russian defence ministry also said that humanitarian corridors and exit routes were discussed with the Ukrainian counterparts.
Russia has informed the UN Security Council that Russian buses are ready at crossing points to go to the eastern Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Sumy to evacuate Indian students and other foreign nationals who are stranded there, amidst the raging conflict in the East European country.
The 15-nation Council held an emergency session on Friday, called by Albania, France, Ireland, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States, following Russia¡¯s attack on Ukraine¡¯s Zaporizhzhya nuclear power plant, the biggest in Europe.
During the meeting, Russia¡¯s Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Vassily Nebenzia said that the Russian military is doing everything to ensure the peaceful evacuation of foreign nationals stranded in Ukraine.
He alleged that Ukraine nationalists were keeping over 3,700 Indian citizens ¡°by force¡± in Kharkiv and Sumy cities of eastern Ukraine.
¡°Terrorists do not let civilians leave cities. This impacts not only Ukrainians but foreigners as well. The number of foreign citizens whom Ukrainian nationals are keeping by force is shocking. Kharkiv 3,189 nationals of India, up to 2,700 nationals of Vietnam, 202 nationals of China. Sumy 576 nationals of India, 101 nationals of Ghana, 121 nationals of China,¡± Nebenzia told the Council.
¡°In the Belgorod region of Russia, 130 comfortable buses have been waiting (and standing ready) since 6.00 am today at the crossing points ¡®Nekhoteevka¡¯ and ¡®Sudja¡¯ ready to go to Kharkiv and Sumy to evacuate the Indian students and other foreign nationals,¡± he said.
The Russian envoy said that the checkpoints are equipped to provide temporary accommodation, space for rest, and hot food. There are also mobile medical stations with a stock of medications.
¡°Everyone evacuated will then be taken to Belgorod, and from there transported to their homeland by air,¡± he said.
In New Delhi, responding to reports of Indian students being held hostage in Ukraine, Spokesperson of the Ministry of External Affairs Arindam Bagchi said India has not received any reports of any hostage situation regarding Indian students.
¡°We have not received any reports of any hostage situation regarding any student. We have requested the support of the Ukrainian authorities in arranging special trains for taking out students from Kharkiv and neighbouring areas to the western part of the country,¡± Bagchi said.
In the coastal city of Odessa in Ukraine, men, women, and children alike are using sand from a yacht club¡¯s beach to barricade the city centre amid the threat of an impending Russian invasion. Among those involved in building the barricade are children as young as eleven.
"We will defend Odessa and everything will be okay," an eleven-year-old girl told CNN.
Locals formed a human chain to fill sandbags in preparation for a possible Russian attack.
Meanwhile, port city Kherson was captured by Russian forces on Thursday. In a nearby village, Russian soldiers were killed by local huntsmen.
According to the UN, more than 750 civilians have died in Ukraine since the beginning of the Russian invasion and this is a cautious estimate. Meanwhile, more than 1.2 million people have left Ukraine since the fighting began.
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