MOSCOW, June 15 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry said Tuesday that a humanitarian corridor will be opened on Wednesday to evacuate civilians in the Azot chemical plant in the strategic city of Sievierodonetsk in eastern Ukraine.
Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the Russian National Defense Control Center, said that Russian armed forces are ready to "carry out a humanitarian operation to evacuate civilians guided by humanitarian principles."
He added that a humanitarian corridor will be opened in the northern direction towards the city of Svatovo from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Moscow time (0500 to 1700 GMT) on Wednesday.
Mizintsev urged Ukrainian armed forces to "stop any hostilities and release the civilians they are holding through this humanitarian corridor."
He also urged the authorities in Kiev to display prudence, and to give appropriate instructions to their forces to end resistance and leave the territory of the Azot plant.
Also on Tuesday, the Ukrainian Infrastructure Ministry said in a statement that Ukraine and the European Union have agreed on the final text of a deal on road transport liberalization.
The ministry said on Facebook that the agreement, which is set to be signed by the end of this month, will significantly improve and speed up logistics between Ukraine and the EU.
In particular, the deal stipulates that the EU will cancel the obligation for Ukrainian haulers to obtain special permits for transporting goods in the EU.
Ukraine and the EU began negotiations on road transport liberalization last year.
After the start of the Russia-Ukraine conflict in February, 12 EU countries have temporarily allowed permit-free passage for Ukrainian freight automobile transport.
Produced by Xinhua Global Service
