Russia says more than 620,000 people have been evacuated from 'dangerous areas' in Ukraine

By Dmitri Chirciu

MOSCOW (AA) - Russia’s Defense Ministry said Tuesday that more than 620,000 Ukrainians have been evacuated from "dangerous areas" in Ukraine.

Around 18,600 people, including 2,837 children, were evacuated from "dangerous areas" of the country to Russia in the last 24 hours, and to date, a total of 620,760 people, including 122,684 children, have been evacuated, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, the director of the Russian National Center for Defense Management, said in a statement.

Mizintsev said they provide humanitarian corridors for the evacuation of civilians from the Ukrainian cities of Kharkiv and Mariupol every day beginning at 10.00 a.m. Moscow time (0700GMT).

Arguing that the Russian army has complied with the cease-fire at these points, he claimed that the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol was being prevented by Ukraine.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started on Feb. 24, has drawn international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK, among others, implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,480 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,195 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.24 million Ukrainians have fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.