Ukraine Civilian Evacuation Begins... Bus Departs from Sumi (Update)

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hyunwoo Lee] Civilian evacuations have officially begun, focusing on the northeastern region of Ukraine. This follows the establishment of humanitarian corridors agreed upon by both Ukraine and Russia, but there are concerns that Russia may break its promise again and launch attacks.

According to foreign media including the Associated Press on the 8th (local time), the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced via its Twitter account that "civilian evacuations, including foreign students, have started from Sumy to Poltava." It further emphasized, "We urge Russia to agree on other humanitarian corridors within Ukraine, to honor the ceasefire promises, to refrain from activities that endanger lives, and to allow the delivery of humanitarian aid."

The Ukrainian Special Communications and Information Protection Service (SSSCIP) also announced on Twitter that the first phase of civilian evacuation from Sumy has begun. Additionally, civilian evacuations have reportedly started in the village of Irpin near the capital Kyiv (Kiyev).

Earlier, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that from 10 a.m. local time on the same day, a temporary ceasefire would be enforced and humanitarian corridors opened in five regions: Kyiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mariupol, and Sumy, to facilitate civilian evacuations.

However, tensions continue to rise as there is uncertainty about when Russia might break its promise again and launch attacks. Previously, Ukraine and Russia agreed last week during negotiations to a temporary ceasefire and the opening of humanitarian corridors for civilian evacuations, but fighting continued, and the agreement was not properly implemented.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.