As Russia declares a cease-fire in two areas, a look at the status of Ukraine’s key cities

On Saturday, as Russia’s war in Ukraine entered its tenth day, a watershed moment occurred when Russia declared a temporary ceasefire in two Ukrainian cities, Volnovakha and Mariupol, allowing civilians to flee. The Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement that it had agreed with Ukrainian forces on evacuation routes that would allow civilians to leave the port of Mariupol in the southeast and the eastern town of Volnovakha “from 10 a.m. Moscow time.” Oleksiy Danilov, the head of Ukraine’s security council, has urged Russia to establish humanitarian corridors to allow children, women, and the elderly to flee the fighting.