Ukraine has halted the planned evacuation of civilians from Mariupol after it accused Russian forces of breaching the ceasefire that was promised on Saturday.
According to Daily Mail, Ukraine claimed Kremlin forces were pounding Mariupol and near the city of Orikhiv, 96 miles away.
“The Russians are continuing to bomb us and use artillery. It is crazy. There is no ceasefire in Mariupol and there is no ceasefire all along the route. Our civilians are ready to escape but they cannot escape under shelling,” Serhiy Orlov, Mariupol’s Deputy Mayor, told the BBC.
Local authorities have instructed civilians to disperse and return to places of shelter, adding that talks are underway to reimplement a ceasefire and ensure the humanitarian corridor originally agreed on for five hours.
This development comes hours after Russia declared a temporary ceasefire to allow humanitarian corridors out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.
