KYIV, Ukraine 

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said thousands of Ukrainian civilians were evacuated Wednesday from the cities of Mariupol and Huliaipole.

Speaking on her social media account, Vereshchuk said seven of nine evacuation corridors were used to take civilians out of conflict zones.

A total of 4,554 people were evacuated, including 2,912 who left Mariupol for the city of Zaporizhzhia in their private vehicles, and some 60 tons of humanitarian aid were distributed among various cities, she said.

Russia's war on Ukraine, which began on Feb. 24, has been met with international outrage, with the European Union, US and UK among others implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 977 civilians have been killed during the war and 1,594 injured, according to UN estimates.

More than 3.6 million people have fled Ukraine to neighboring countries, according to the UN refugee agency.

*Writing by Ali Murat Alhas