Russia announces new cease-fire in Ukraine

Russia on Wednesday announced a new cease-fire in Ukraine, allowing citizens to flee the war-torn country.

The cease-fire follows a similar announcement on Tuesday, when Russia said it would allow Ukrainian civilians to pass safely through Chernihiv, Sumy, Mariupol, Kyiv and Kharkiv. However, the only safe corridor allowing people to leave was opened in Sumy on Tuesday, according to Reuters.

Ukraine Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk reportedly agreed to the Wednesday cease-fire, halting fire from 9 a.m. until 9 p.m. to allow safe passage through six corridors.

Cease-fires coordinated over the weekend failed to provide Ukrainian citizens safe passage out of the country. In Kyiv, Russian shelling in violation of the cease-fire prevented eight trucks and 30 buses from reaching people in the city, the news service noted.

Russia at the time pushed back on accusations that it violated the cease-fire, placing the blame on Kyiv, Reuters reported.

Russia’s offer of a safe passage over the weekend would have forced residents of Kyiv and Kharkiv, which are Ukraine’s largest cities, into Russia or Belarus. Both options were rejected by Kyiv at the time, according to Reuters.

Since the start of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine almost two weeks ago, nearly 2 million people have fled the country.