Kyiv, March 8 : Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba on Tuesday accused Russia of holding 300,000 civilians hostage in Mariupol. In a tweet, Kuleba said, “Russia holds 300k civilians hostage in Mariupol, prevents humanitarian evacuation despite agreements with ICRC mediation.” He further said that one child among the hostages died due to dehydration on Monday. “War crimes are part of Russia’s deliberate strategy. I urge all states to publicly demand: RUSSIA, LET PEOPLE GO!” he added. Earlier, Russia announced ceasefire in Ukraine to allow the civilians to evacuate. “In order to safely evacuate civilians from settlements, a ceasefire is introduced today from 10 am Moscow time and humanitarian corridors from Kiev, Chernihiv, Sumy, Kharkiv and Mariupol are opened,” Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters. RNJ