Ukraine: Ceasefire fails, Russia & Ukraine blame each other as Mariupol evacuation is paused

Just hours after Russia and Ukraine announced a localised ceasefire to allow evacuations, the agreement fell through with both sides blaming each other.

On March 5, the tenth day of the war, Kyiv and Moscow agreed to a ceasefire to allow evacuation of civilians out of the Ukrainian cities of Mariupol and Volnovakha.

Subsequently, Ukrainian authorities accused Russian forces of not stopping shelling. Iryna Vereshchuk, deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine said, "At 11:45, the Russian Federation started shelling Volnovakha with heavy weapons. As you know, from 9 a.m. on 5 March we had a preliminary agreement that we will create two humanitarian corridors in Volnovakha and Mariupol. I want to confirm the fact that Russia has violated agreements reached with the mediation of the Red Cross, did not fulfill the agreement and is shelling Volnovakha."

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In response, Russia's foreign minister claimed that Ukrainian officials were not allowing civilians to leave. Sergey Lavrov said, "We have been informed by the Donetsk People's Republic that Mariupol authorities are refusing to provide an opportunity for residents to leave through the humanitarian corridor that was set up by the Russian military. There is also information from Kherson that when the humanitarian corridor was opened, representatives of our ministry of emergency situations that went there to help civilians evacuate wanted to deliver humanitarian aid there - supposedly, we are verifying that now - Kherson authorities refused to accept the humanitarian aid."