Russia has announced a temporary ceasefire to allow citizens to leave embattled zones of Mariupol and Volnovakha. The temporary ceasefire began at 07:00 GMT and has been confirmed by Ukrainian authorities.
The temporary ceasefire and humanitarian corridors was announced by the Russian defence ministry, which said it had been agreed with the Ukrainian side.
Mariupol is a key southern port that has been besieged by Russian forces for days
The news has been officially confirmed by Ukrainian official Pavlo Kirilenko., who is the head of the Donetsk region military administration.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been in discussion with Russian President Vladimir Putin for declaring such a ceasefire.
With inputs from BBC, Bloomberg