First attempt at safe route out of Severodonetsk

A humanitarian corridor is being opened in Severodonetsk

For the first time, a humanitarian corridor is being opened in Severodonetsk, the Ukrainian city which is now bearing the brunt of the fighting, Qazet.az reports.

The Russian army has said it will last for 12 hours from 08:00 Moscow time (05:00 GMT), with people taken north to the occupied territories.

The city has been effectively cut off from the rest of Ukraine since Russian troops blew up a number of key bridges.

Yet despite the loss of the bridges, Ukrainian forces say they are also still trying to evacuate civilians.

There are believed to be about 12,000 people remaining in the city, which is in the eastern Luhansk region. Before the war, it was home to 100,000.