Berlin, Mar. 9, (dpa/GNA) – The evacuation of civilians from the north-eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy is set to continue on Wednesday.
The escape corridor towards the central Ukrainian city of Poltava will be open until 9 pm (1900 GMT), the head of the regional administration, Dmytro Shyvytskyy, wrote on a Telegram news channel early on Wednesday.
He said the negotiating team had been working all night. The evacuations were to start at 9 am. According to Shyvytsky, people can leave the city in their own cars. There will also be 22 buses available. The operation is in cooperation with the Red Cross.
The Russian Defence Ministry also announced a ceasefire from 9 am to ensure safe escape for civilians from Sumy and other towns.
There should be corridors From Kiev via Belarus to Russia, according to the Russians. An escape route to the Russian city of Belgorod from the eastern Ukrainian city of Kharkiv was planned, as well as one from the port city of Mariupol to Rostov-on-Don.
According to the Ukrainian government, 6,700 people have already been rescued from Sumy. It was so far the only one of five agreed-upon escape corridors that actually seemed to work.
According to Shyvytsky, the death toll from Tuesday night’s heavy airstrikes rose to 22, including three children.
The body of a boy was found under the rubble on Tuesday. A bomb had hit a private house, killing nine people there, the leader wrote. He published photos of destroyed houses and debris on the streets.
GNA