MOSCOW

The Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday that Ukraine requested a safe passage for the evacuation of civilians from the Azot chemical plant in the city of Sievierodonetsk.

"The Ukrainian side requested the organization of a humanitarian corridor for the evacuation of civilians – women, children and the elderly – from the Azot chemical plant in Sievierodonetsk to the territory controlled by Kyiv in the city of Lisichansk," said Mikhail Mizintsev, director of the Russian National Defense Management Center.

He, however, added that "it is impossible to organize a safe evacuation in this direction" as the Ukrainian forces blew up the bridge connecting the two cities.

Mizintsev claimed that the Ukrainian forces deliberately took hundreds of civilians while they were retreating to use them as "a human shield."

He voiced suspicion that the surrounded Ukrainian servicemen will try to leave the area under the guise of civilians, as it was in the city of Mariupol.

Nevertheless, Russia will open a humanitarian corridor in the direction of the town of Svatovo, which is under the control of the separatist forces, for the evacuation of civilians from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Moscow time on Wednesday, he said.

Mizintsev asked the Ukrainian servicemen who had surrounded at the Azot plant to let civilians go and surrender, and urged the Ukrainian authorities to encourage the besieged civilians to follow the advice.

"The Russian Federation guarantees lives and compliance with all the norms of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, as happened with those who surrendered earlier in Mariupol," he said.

In case the Ukrainian side accepts Russia’s conditions, it has to raise the white flag, which will mean the start of the operation, he said.

Over 4,432 civilians have been killed in Ukraine since Russia’s war started on Feb. 24, while over 14 million people have been forced to flee their homes, including more than 7.3 million that have fled to other countries, according to UN figures.