NPR News

Ukraine closes humanitarian corridors because it says Russia may attack them

By Nathan Rott

Published March 28, 2022 at 3:46 PM EDT

Residents of Irpin, Ukraine, flee heavy fighting via a destroyed bridge as Russian forces entered the city on March 7. On Monday, Ukraine said it was closing humanitarian corridors out of concern about Russian provocations. [Chris McGrath / Getty Images] — Residents of Irpin, Ukraine, flee heavy fighting via a destroyed bridge as Russian forces entered the city on March 7. On Monday, Ukraine said it was closing humanitarian corridors out of concern about Russian provocations.

LVIV, Ukraine — Ukraine will not open any humanitarian corridors for civilians on Monday as Russia continues to shell and bomb cities. Ukrainian officials are warning of Russian provocations and closed the corridors for safety reasons.

Over the last couple of weeks, Ukraine and Russia have regularly agreed to and established humanitarian corridors from some of the hardest-hit cities in the country — including Mariupol and Sumy, which have been surrounded and shelled incessantly by Russian forces.

Ukraine's deputy prime minister said no corridors would be opened on Monday because intelligence reports warn of Russian provocations along routes.

Russian troops have previously fired on agreed-upon humanitarian corridors.

Roughly 10 million people — a quarter of Ukraine's population — have been displaced in the war. Hundreds of thousands could still be sheltering in hard-hit cities.

A version of this story originally appeared in the Morning Edition live blog .