Russia - Ukraine conflict: Ukraine agrees on escape corridors for citizens

Many citizens have fled Ukraine as Russia continues its offensive on the country. In the midst of the chaos, Ukraine has agreed to set up several escape corridors for those who wish to leave.

Ukraine has agreed on setting up six corridors for citizens of the affected cities to leave, according to DPR. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Wednesday that residents of Enerhodar and Mariupol would be brought to Zaporizhzhia in southeast Ukraine. Residents of Volnovakha would be brought to Pokrovsk, while residents of Sumy would be brought to Poltava.

Vereshchuk added that escape corridors are also being planned for those in Izyum and for other towns north of Kyiv. The escape would be done within the ceasefire, which will be until 7:00 p.m. GMT with the military agreeing that there would be no shooting as citizens are brought to safety. The escape routes were also made in coordination with Russian forces and a letter was sent to the International Red Cross informing the organization of the move.

The Russian Defense Ministry announced a ceasefire prior to Vereshchuk’s announcement on several regions. It remains to be seen whether this would be implemented.

This comes as Russian military forces continue to destroy buildings and homes in Ukrainian cities, almost two weeks since Russian dictator Vladimir Putin ordered military operations into the country. The conflict has since met widespread condemnation and many countries have imposed sanctions on Russia, especially targeting politicians and oligarchs and their families.

Meanwhile, the US has denied Russia’s claims that the US has biowarfare laboratories in Ukraine as Moscow attempts to justify its invasion. Washington has called the claims “preposterous” and has warned that Russia might seek to use chemical or biological weapons as it continues its invasion.

The response from Washington comes hours after Russia doubled down on its claims. White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki responded through a two-tweet thread on Twitter, pointing out that Russia is known for having a history of using chemical or biological weapons. Psaki cited the “attempted assassinations and poisoning” Putin’s political enemies, such as opposition leader Alexei Navalny.

The US State Department and the Pentagon also denied the claims. State Department spokesperson Ned Price released a statement accusing Russia of inventing “false pretexts” in an attempt to justify its attacks on Ukraine.