Russia Declares Temporary Ceasefire, Allowing Residents of Mariupol and Volnovakha to Flee

• Russia has declared a temporary ceasefire in the cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha to allow civilians to evacuate
• A humanitarian corridor has been created to allow civilians an opportunity to flee from the violence as the Russian army continues its invasion of Ukraine
• However, reports are coming through that the Russian army is not observing the ceasefire in Mariupol and the Zaporizhzhia region

KYIV - The Russian government has declared a temporary ceasefire in order for civilian residents of two Ukrainian cities, Mariupol and Volnovakha, to evacuate.

A humanitarian corridor has been opened to allow women, children and the elderly to evacuate the besieged cities which have been relentlessly bombarded by the Russian military.

Mariupol had been the target of Moscow backed rebels in 2014, the residents and military forces there had resisted the rebels' efforts to take the city. Once again it has become the target and has experienced some of the worst fighting since Russian forces invaded Ukraine according to EWN.

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The BBC reported that despite the announcement of the ceasefire, the city of Mariupol is still being shelled by the Russian army.

The deputy mayor of Mariupol, Serhiy Orlov said that the bombs are continuing to drop and artillery shells are still raining down.

In addition to the city, there is still fighting being reported in the Zaporizhzhia region which lies at the end of the humanitarian corridor.

"Stop dragging us": US calls on SA to take a firm stance against Russia

Earlier, Briefly News reported that the South African government has come under fire for choosing to abstain from the United Nations vote to condemn Russia and call on Russian President Vladimir Putin to retract his troops from Ukraine.

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The United States of America has now urged South Africa to stop sitting on the sidelines and label the aggressor in the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

US diplomat from the Embassy, Todd Haskell, stated that it's important for African nations to take a stance when Russia has the choice to trample on Ukraine's democracy, reports News24.

Ukrainian association urges South African government to immediately cut economic ties with Russia

Briefly News previously reported that the South African government has been called upon to act decisively as the conflict between Russia and Ukraine intensifies in Kyiv.

The Ukrainian Association of South Africa (UAZA) is digging deep for their allies in the southern tip of Africa to respond to the request in kind. The request: to stop all economic relations with the country waging the conflict – Russia.

The Ukrainian community took to the streets of Cape Town to demonstrate outside the Parliament building in an attempt to have their cries heard. Various slogans with messages strewn across were carried by the country's immigrants and other supporters standing in solidarity with Ukraine.

Source: Briefly News