Threats of Russian airstrikes and fighting continue to barrage the Kyiv region despite attempts to evacuate civilians from the area, its governor said.
In a separate statement, the governor of the Donetsk region said its humanitarian corridors were also facing unrelenting bombardment.
“Humanitarian cargo is moving towards Mariupol, we will inform you how it develops ... The situation is complicated, there is constant shelling,” Donetsk governor Pavlo Kyrylenko told local media. “The situation is extremely difficult.”
It comes after Ukraine’s deputy prime minister today announced that several humanitarian corridors out of Ukrainian towns and villages will open today to allow civilians to escape safely.
Iryna Vereshchuk said she hoped Russia would observe a ceasefire to allow safe passage for those fleeing their besieged homes.
She said Ukraine plans to evacuate residents of several towns and villages in the regions of Kyiv and Sumy and some other areas facing ongoing combat.
The southern city of Mairupol is also included on that list, where efforts to safely evacuate residents have repeatedly failed.