Ukraine’s Mariupol port city to resume evacuation today after ceasefire breach

The Mariupol port city of Ukraine, which is surrounded by Russian troops, will begin efforts to evacuate its civilian population on Sunday afternoon, after earlier attempts were thwarted by ceasefire violations.

Around 400,000 residents are currently trapped in the city. The evacuation would start at 12 pm local time (10 am GMT) on Sunday under a temporary ceasefire that will last till 9 pm ( 7 pm GMT)

"From 1200 (1000 GMT) the evacuation of the civilian population begins," city officials said in a statement, which said a ceasefire was agreed with Russian-led forces surrounding the city.

An earlier attempt to evacuate civilians by buses and cars along the road northwest towards Zaporizhzhia was halted on Saturday after both sides accused each other of shelling.

Ukrainian authorities accused the Russians of shelling even when civilians were gathering to form an escape convoy, but Moscow's defence ministry accused the city's defenders of exploiting a "human shield".

Meanwhile, British intelligence has claimed that Russian forces were targeting populated areas in Ukraine but that the strength of resistance was slowing the Russian advance, reported Reuters.

"The scale and strength of Ukrainian resistance continue to surprise Russia," British military intelligence said in an update.

Russia "has responded by targeting populated areas in multiple locations, including Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Mariupol."

Russia has repeatedly denied that it is targeting civilian areas.

If Russian forces succeed in capturing Mariupol which held out against rebel forces in the previous 2014 conflict, they will control Ukraine's entire Azov Sea coast.

This would give them a landbridge from Russia to Russian-annexed Crimea and an important supply route and port if they decide to push north in a bid to take all of eastern Ukraine.

(With inputs from agencies)