Civilians trapped in Ukrainian cities will be able to leave on Monday through 10 “humanitarian corridors”, deputy prime minister Iryna Vereschuk said.

       The residents from towns near Kyiv and in the eastern region of Luhansk will also be able to use this corridors to flee Ukraine, Ms Vereschuk said.

       This comes at a time when evacuation efforts by the Ukrainian administration have been impaired by attacks from Russian troops, preventing residents from leaving the war-ravaged country, even as Moscow claimed that it was not targeting civilians.

       Officials confirmed that more than 2,500 locals of the Black Sea port city have been killed in the Mariupol city since Ukraine was invaded by Russian troops on 24 February.

       Sharing the casualties, presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych accused Russian forces of preventing humanitarian aid’s movement from reaching Mariupol, which has been battered by attacks.

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