Russia declares new cease-fire for civilian evacuations from Ukrainian cities

By Ali Cura

MOSCOW (AA) – Russia has declared a new cease-fire for evacuating civilians from the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Sumy and Mariupol starting at 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700GMT) Tuesday.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has drawn international condemnation, led to financial sanctions on Moscow and spurred an exodus of global firms from Russia. The West has also imposed biting export restrictions on key technologies that are now prohibited from being sent to Russia.

At least 406 civilians have been killed and 801 others injured in Ukraine since the beginning of the war, according to UN figures. But the international body has maintained that conditions on the ground have made it "difficult to verify" the true number of civilian casualties.

More than 1.7 million people have also fled to neighboring countries, the UN Refugee Agency said.