Civilians will start being evacuated from the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol Saturday, city officials said, after surrounding Russian forces announced a ceasefire to allow its population to leave.

Mariupol, a southern city of about 450,000 people on the Azov Sea, will begin evacuations at 0900 GMT, city hall announced on social media in a message

Russia's media regulator Roskomnadzor "restricted access" to social media network Twitter after blocking Facebook in the country, Russian news agencies reported Friday.

According to Interfax and RIA Novosti news agencies, access to Twitter was restricted on the basis of a request of the Prosecutor General from Feb. 24 — the day of Russia's invasion

The U.S. and Russian armed forces have set up a direct phone line to reduce the risks of "miscalculation" amid the war in Ukraine, the Pentagon said Friday.

The "deconfliction line" between U.S. European Command and the Russian Ministry of Defense was established earlier this week, Pentagon spokesman John Kirby said.

"I don't have any information

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Friday signed into law a bill introducing jail terms of up to 15 years for fake news about the Russian army, as Moscow pushes forward with its invasion of Ukraine.

The bill, adopted by lawmakers earlier on Friday, sets out jail terms of varying lengths and fines against people who publish "knowingly false