Plumes of Smoke Seen in Mariupol as Multiple Blasts Heard Near City, Sputnik Correspondent Says

Mariupol is currently being blockaded by forces from the Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics amid the ongoing Russian special operation to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" Ukraine.

A Sputnik correspondent has said that plumes of smoke are being seen in Mariupol as multiple explosions were heard near the city earlier on Saturday. Located on the coast of the Sea of Azov in eastern Ukraine, Mariupol is one of the country's largest ports.

According to the Sputnik correspondent, the blasts took place in the city at 13:00 Moscow time (10:00 GMT).

The reported development comes after Russia declared a temporary ceasefire in Ukraine as of 7:00 GMT on Saturday to help evacuate civilians from Mariupol and the city of Volnovakha.

"[…] On 5 March at 10 a.m. Moscow time, the Russian side declares a ceasefire and is opening humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians from Mariupol and Volnovakha", the Russian Defence Ministry told reporters earlier on Saturday.

According to the ministry, the humanitarian corridors and exit routes have been agreed upon with the Ukrainian side.

Authorities from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) have since claimed that not a single civilian has been evacuated from Mariupol so far because the Ukrainian military is intentionally hindering their access to the humanitarian corridor. This came as the Mariupol City Council wrote on its Telegram page that "the evacuation of the civilian population [from the city] has been postponed".

Eduard Basurin, a spokesman for the DPR's People's Militia, said that Mariupol could be liberated in a special operation using high-precision weapons.

"There is only one way - a special operation with the use of high-precision weapons", he told the Russian broadcaster Rossiya 24, when asked how Mariupol could be liberated if the Ukrainian military prevents people from evacuating. Basurin added that civilians in the city should be warned about the special operation in the event this sort of decision is made.

At present, Mariupol is blocked by DPR and Lugansk People's Republic (LPR) forces, but is under the control of the Ukrainian Army.

Russia's special military operation to demilitarise and "de-Nazify" Ukraine was announced by President Vladimir Putin on 24 February, following a request by DPR and LPR for help amid intensifying attacks by the Ukrainian Army. Russia's Defence Ministry has repeatedly underlined that the country's armed forces are only targeting Ukraine's military infrastructure with high-precision weapons and that Ukrainian civilians are not in danger.