A humanitarian corridor for the city of Sumy is to open today. This fact was officially agreed with Russian Federation in an official letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross.
"In other words, both the Red Cross and we, as the party with which the opening of the humanitarian corridor has been agreed, have documentary evidence," – Iryna Vereshchuk, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine.
There is one humanitarian corridor for evacuation of people: Sumy - Holubivka - Lokhvytsia - Lubny - Poltava route. No other routes were agreed.
"We already have information that the Russian side has planned to disrupt humanitarian corridors, manipulations with the route are being prepared to force people to go the other way. That way is uncoordinated and dangerous. We urge the Russian side not to resort to manipulative actions and fulfill a documented promise," - Vereshchuk.
We are talking about the evacuation from Sumy to Poltava of civilians, including foreign students, in particular from India and China, as well as the delivery of humanitarian goods - food and much-needed medicines.
The Ukrainian party is ready to fully ensure safety along the entire route. It was agreed to introduce ceasefire at 9 am Kyiv time. The time frame of the humanitarian corridor is from 9am to 21pm on March 8.
The humanitarian convoy will move to Sumy following the route Lokhvytsia - Andriyashivka - Romny - Nedryhailiv - Sumy. A ceasefire along the route of delivery of humanitarian aid will be a signal to begin the safe evacuation of people.
It was agreed that at 10am the first convoy should start moving from the city of Sumy. The convoy will be followed by civilians in their own vehicles.
Ukraine also sent to the Russian pary and the Red Cross the developed routes for humanitarian corridors: Volnovakha - Zaporizhzhia, Mariupol - Zaporizhzhia, Kyiv and Kyiv region in the direction of western Ukraine, as well as Kharkiv and Kharkiv region in the direction of western Ukraine.
"We urge Russia to immediately agree on these routes and ensure a stable ceasefire on these routes," – Vereshchuk.