Russia declares ceasefire in Ukraine for civilians evacuation -- defense ministry

MOSCOW, March 5 (Xinhua) -- Russian forces will observe a truce in Ukraine starting 10:00 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) on Saturday to facilitate the evacuation of civilians via humanitarian corridors, the Russian Ministry of Defense said.

As was agreed by the Ukrainian side, the humanitarian corridors will allow the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha in south Ukraine, the ministry said, without disclosing how long the ceasefire will last.

During their second round of peace talks on Thursday, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators agreed on the establishment of humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians and on a temporary cessation of hostilities along the evacuation routes.