Iryna Vereschuk: Humanitarian corridor for Sumy should be launched

Deputy Prime Minister - Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine Iryna Vereshchuk briefed on the launch of the work of the humanitarian corridor for Sumy. This fact was officially approved by the Russian Ministry of Defense in a relevant letter to the International Committee of the Red Cross. There is only one route for the humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of people: Sumy-Holubivka-Lokhvytsia-Lubny-Poltava. The sides did not agree on any other routes of the humanitarian corridor. At

the same time, the Minister said Ukraine has information that the Russian side has planned to disrupt the work of humanitarian corridors and intends to manipulate the route in order to force people to take a different route – inconsistent and unsafe.

"We call on the Russian side not to resort to manipulative actions and to fulfill the documented promise. We are talking about the evacuation of civilians from the city of Sumy to the city of Poltava, including foreign students, in particular citizens of the Republic of India and the People's Republic of China. We are also talking about the delivery of relevant humanitarian goods, namely food and urgently needed medicines, by a humanitarian corridor to the city of Sumy. Ukraine is ready to fully ensure the entire journey along the agreed route, which it informed both the Red Cross and the Russian side. It was also agreed to start the ceasefire along the route at 09:00 (Kyiv time), and the time frame for the humanitarian corridor is indicated from 09:00 to 21:00", the Deputy Prime minister informed.

Along the entire route, any obstacles should be removed for the movement of the corresponding convoys both with people who leave the city of Sumy and humanitarian cargo that is delivered to the city of Sumy. The convoy with humanitarian cargo will move to the city of Sumy along the route Lokhvitsa-Andriyashchevka-Romny-Nedrigailov-Sumy. It was agreed that at 10:00 the first column should start moving from the city of Sumy. Also, after the column, the civilian population will move in their own vehicles.

Iryna Vereschuk said Ukraine sent the Russian side and the Red Cross developed routes for humanitarian corridors: Volnovakha-Zaporizhia, Mariupol-Zaporizhia, Kyiv and Kyiv region, as well as Kharkiv and Kharkiv region in the direction of Western Ukraine.

"We call on Russia to immediately agree on these routes, inform the International Committee of the Red Cross and ensure a permanent ceasefire along these routes," the Deputy Prime Minister stressed.

She reminded that now only official sources of information and reports of the Ukrainian authorities should be trusted.