MOSCOW, March 8. /TASS/. The Russian interdepartmental center for humanitarian response in Ukraine insists on establishing a communications channel between Russia and Ukraine to exchange information on civilians’ evacuation, according to the statement signed on Tuesday by Mikhail Mizintsev, the center’s head and the chief of the Russian National Defense Management Center.

"In order to implement the measures for the evacuation of civilians and foreign nationals along the agreed routes during the humanitarian operation, Russia and Ukraine should establish continuous communication on March 9 from 09.30 Moscow time to exchange information on preparations and the implementation of evacuation of civilians and foreign nationals," the statement says.

On February 24, Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aims to demilitarize and denazify the country. In response, the United States, the United Kingdom, the European Union and other states imposed sanctions against Russian individuals and entities.