Russia’s defence ministry announced a truce surrounding the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol on Monday to allow civilians to flee the industrial region that has been harbouring the port city’s surviving Ukrainian resistance.
According to the ministry, “Russian soldiers will unilaterally end all hostilities, remove units to a safe distance, and ensure the pullout of” from 14:00 Moscow time (1100 GMT) on April 25, 2022.
The ministry went on to say that the Ukrainian side should indicate readiness by “raising white flags” at Azovstal to start the evacuation procedure.
“The civilians will be taken in any direction they have chosen,” the ministry said.
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This information will be transmitted to individuals inside Azovstal “through radio channels” every 30 minutes, according to the ministry.
Rather than attacking the Mariupol steelworks, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the Russian military to surround the area last week.
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“A fly can’t get through,” Putin said, urging Russian soldiers to blockade the Azovstal steelworks, the Ukrainian army’s last position in the besieged city.
Meanwhile, the Russian defence ministry stated that Russia bombed Ukraine’s Kremenchuk oil refinery with long-range missiles on Monday, as well as military installations nearby.
Reuters reports that the Russian Federation’s armed forces are continuing their special military operation in Ukraine.
In a separate incident, Russia launched missiles at two towns in Ukraine’s central Vinnytsia region on Monday, killing and injuring an undetermined number of people, according to regional governor Serhiy Borzov, according to Reuters.
