Despite not adhering to past agreements, Russia claims it will enable civilians to flee

 

Ukrainians flee their country for fear of death

Despite consistently breaking earlier agreements, the Russian Defense Ministry claims it would cease firing at 10 a.m. local time Monday (2 a.m. ET) to allow people to evacuate their homes in the Ukrainian cities of Kyiv, Kharkiv, Sumy, and Mariupol.

The ministry stated in a statement Monday that the decision was made "at the personal request" of French President Emmanuel Macron, and that the relevant facts had been shared with international agencies such as the UN

Civilians killed during evacuation: According to the city's mayor, a Russian military attack hit an evacuation crossing point in a Kyiv suburb on Sunday, killing a family with two children as well as numerous more civilians fleeing their houses.

The checkpoint in the suburb of Irpin, northwest of Kyiv, was hit by two mortar or artillery projectiles, according to Ukrainian authorities. A shell landed as a stream of civilians passed through the checkpoint, according to international journalists who were filming it

Another attempt at a ceasefire: On Saturday, a first attempt to stop the fighting and establish evacuation routes in Mariupol and Volnovakha failed, with Ukrainian officials halting evacuations due to repeated Russian ceasefire violations.

Due to the "unwillingness of the Ukrainian side," Russia said its forces have resumed their onslaught in Mariupol and Volnovakha.

A second effort was thwarted just hours later on Sunday, when Ukrainian authorities announced that Russian soldiers had regrouped and were starting intense shelling of Mariupol