Photo: ALEXANDER NEMENOV / AFP / Getty Images
For: EFE Updated 25 Apr 2022, 8: 25 am EDT
Russia announced a ceasefire on Monday from 11.00 GMT today for the evacuation of civilians from the besieged Azovstal steelworks in the city of Mariupol
, in the south-east of Ukraine.
Units of the Armed Forces of Russia and the republic people of Donetsk will cease combat actions, withdraw to a reasonable distance and allow the evacuation of civilians “in the direction they choose” , declared the head of the National Defense Control Center, Colonel General Mijaíl Mizíntsev.
“The Russian Federation publicly and officially declares that there is no obstacle for civilians to leave Azovstal, it saved the decision of the kyiv authorities themselves and the commanders of the nationalist formations to retain civilians as a human shield” , sign The Russian military chief said in a statement published on Telegram.
He added that, in case the territory of the metallurgical plant there really are civilians, Russia demands that the Ukrainian authorities “immediately order the commanders of the nationalist formations to release them”
.
The statement specifies that the ceasefire announcement to allow the evacuation will be read every 25 minutes through speakers so that it can be heard inside the plant.
“The willingness of the Ukrainian side to start the humanitarian operation must be confirmed by the display of white flags on the perimeter or at least in some sectors of Azovstal”, added Mizíntsev .
On Thursday of last week, the Russian president, Vladimir Putin canceled the order to asal tar Azovstal, surrounded several weeks ago, and argued his decision with the need to think more about saving the lives and health of Russian soldiers and officers.
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