Moscow announces new Mariupol ceasefire to move out civilians

The Kremlin has also agreed to a proposal from Kyiv to open four new humanitarian corridors

Nurse Svetlana Savchenko, 56, stands next to her bombed-out apartment building in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 30. Reuters

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The Russian Defence Ministry announced a local ceasefire on Thursday to allow civilians to be moved from Ukraine's besieged port city of Mariupol.

A humanitarian corridor from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia, through the Russian-controlled port of Berdiansk, would be opened from 10am, the ministry said on Wednesday.

"For this humanitarian operation to succeed, we propose to carry it out with the direct participation of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees and the International Committee of the Red Cross," the ministry said.

The Russian ministry asked Kyiv to guarantee the "unconditional respect" for the ceasefire through written notification, the UNHCR and ICRC before 6am on Thursday.

Moscow also asked the Ukrainian army to ensure the security of the bus convoys along the designated corridor.

A shell fired by a Russian tank strikes an apartment building in the city of Mariupol in south-east Ukraine. AP Photo

Ukrainian officials say Russian forces destroyed Mariupol's drama theatre where hundreds of people were sheltering. AP

The theatre was located in the centre of Mariupol. EPA

The remains of the theatre. Reuters

Mariupol residents pass shells and discarded munitions cases as they try to flee the besieged port city on the north coast of the Sea of Azov at the mouth of the Kalmius river. Reuters

A man pushes a bicycle along a destroyed street in Mariupol. AP Photo

A woman walks past a burning apartment building after shelling. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman and a civilian carry a wounded man who was injured by shelling in a hospital in Mariupol. AP Photo

People lie on the floor of a hospital during shelling by Russian forces. AP Photo

A hospital window is cracked from shelling. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman guards his position in Mariupol. AP Photo

Anastasia Erashova cries as she hugs her child in a corridor of a hospital in Mariupol. AP Photo

People settle in a bomb shelter. AP Photo

Evacuees fleeing Ukraine-Russia conflict sit in the body of a cargo vehicle while waiting to leave Mariupol. Reuters

A fire from a suspected Russian strike is seen on an apartment block on the eastern side of Mariupol. AP

A soldier escapes from an armoured vehicle with a 'Z' marking that was attacked. Reuters

Medical workers hold newborn Alana close to her mother after a cesarean section at a hospital in Mariupol. AP Photo

A Ukrainian serviceman guards his position in Mariupol. AP Photo

Anastasia Erashova cries as she hugs her child in a corridor of a hospital in Mariupol. AP Photo

Premature babies left behind in hospital by their parents. AP Photo

A service member of pro-Russian troops stands guard near a line of cars with evacuees leaving Mariupol. Reuters

People settle in a bomb shelter in Mariupol. AP Photo

A man plays with a baby in a bomb shelter in Mariupol. AP Photo

People use carts to transport their belongings in Mariupol. Reuters

Mariana Vishegirskaya walks down stairs in a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol. AP Photo

Ukrainian emergency employees and volunteers carry an injured pregnant woman from a maternity hospital. The baby was born dead. Half an hour later, the mother died too. AP Photo

Oleksandr Konovalov, an ambulance paramedic, attends to an injured woman. AP Photo

Ukrainian emergency employees work at a maternity hospital damaged by shelling in Mariupol. AP Photo

The ministry said it had agreed to a proposal from Kyiv to open in the last 24 hours four new humanitarian corridors, from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia.