Russia promises 'silence' for Ukrainians to flee battered cities

A satellite image shows a damaged bridge and craters in a field, amid Russia's ongoing invasion of Ukraine, in Irpin, Ukraine, March 8, 2022. Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies/Handout via REUTERS

WASHINGTON/LVIV, Ukraine (Reuters) - Russia said it is ready to provide humanitarian corridors on Wednesday for people fleeing Kyiv and four other Ukrainian cities, as the number of refugees created by the biggest assault on a European country since World War Two surpassed 2 million.

Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia's National Defence Control Centre, was quoted as saying by the Tass news agency that Russian forces would "observe a regime of silence" from 10 a.m. Moscow time (0700 GMT) to ensure safe passage for civilians wishing to leave Kyiv, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol.