LAST UPDATE: 20:13
Russia’s Defense Ministry has issued an ultimatum to soldiers still fighting in besieged Mariupol to lay down their weapons as early as 6 a.m. Sunday in order to save their lives.
Moscow’s claim on Saturday that its troops had succeeded in clearing the entire urban fabric of Mariupol from Ukrainian forces could not be verified by independent sources, Reuters reports. Mariupol is the scene of the fiercest battles during the Russian invasion, but also of the worst humanitarian catastrophe. It will be the first Ukrainian metropolis to be occupied by the Russian army since the start of the war on February 24.
Moscow claims that the remaining defenders of Mariupol – which Moscow claims are both Ukrainian and foreign – have been excluded from the Azovstal steel plant.
“Given the catastrophic situation at the Azovstal metallurgical plant and for purely humanitarian reasons, the Russian armed forces are offering nationalist fighters and foreign mercenaries the opportunity to abandon hostilities and lay down their weapons. 00 of April 17, 2022 “, the announcement of the Russian Ministry of Defense states.
“We guarantee that all those who lay down their arms will save their lives,” the statement said.
Under the terms of the proposed agreement, the remaining soldiers inside the Azovstal plant will have to leave between 06:00 and 13:00 without weapons and ammunition.
The beginning of the delivery will be indicated by raising flags, the Russian ministry said: “On the Russian side – red flag. On the Ukrainian side – white flag. On the entire perimeter of Azovstal.”
There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to the Moscow ultimatum.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Saturday accused Russia of “deliberately trying to exterminate everyone” in Mariupol, saying his government was in contact with the city’s defenders. However, he did not refute Moscow’s claim that Ukrainian forces no longer exist in the urban fabric.
In a videotaped message late Saturday night, Zelensky said: “There has not been a day since the siege of Mariupol that we have not sought a solution – military or diplomatic.” However, finding that solution is extremely difficult. “So far, there has not been a 100% realistic choice,” he said.
Mariupol, with its strategic location in the Sea of Azov, has been a target of Russian invaders since the start of the war. It is located between the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula (west) and the Donetsk region (east), which has been partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that it has “evacuated” 168,000 civilians from Mariupol to date. Ukraine reports that thousands of people have been forcibly displaced.
Attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol – some with the assistance of the International Committee of the Red Cross – have repeatedly failed, with both sides blaming each other for who’s responsibility.
The occupation of Mariupol would give Russia the option of creating a land corridor to Crimea and controlling the entire northern coast of the Sea of Azov.
Explosions were heard in Kyiv
Explosions were heard early this morning in the Ukrainian capital Kyiv, local media reported.
During the night, air alarms sounded almost all over Ukraine.
There was no official explanation for the blasts and Reuters was unable to confirm the information immediately.
About 1,450 civilians left the war zones on Saturday
Nearly 1,450 people left Ukraine’s war zones on Saturday, according to information from Kyiv.
About 1,380 civilians were evacuated to Zaporizhia from various cities in southern and eastern Ukraine, including 170 from besieged Mariupol, the Ukrainian presidency’s office told the Telegram.
68 civilians were also evacuated safely from the Luhansk region, which is under constant fire, according to the same source. The evacuation of the city of Lisikansk was not possible due to “heavy bombardment” in the area, the statement said.
Moscow, meanwhile, said that “despite the obstacles posed by Kyiv”, some 15,800 civilians had been evacuated to Russia from Ukraine’s war zones in the past 24 hours without the involvement of Ukrainian authorities.
Kyiv and Moscow have been accused for weeks of sabotaging the escape of civilians. The allegations can not be verified by independent sources, underlines the German News Agency.
Source: Capital
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