In the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine, Russian forces have been able to take over another region of Ukraine but have been unsuccessful in seizing the capital. With Mariupol occupied by Russian troops, Moscow has demanded that Ukraine surrender the region, which Kyiv has rejected.
Ukraine dismissed the demand to surrender the occupied Mariupol to Russia in exchange for safe passage for Ukrainians out of the city. Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev said over the weekend that Moscow will allow two corridors out of the city, heading to Russia in the east and other parts of Ukraine in the west.
The safe passage would be granted if Ukrainian forces lay down their arms and surrender, and Mizintsev has given Ukrainian forces in Mariupol until the early hours of Monday morning. The Russian general did not say what actions Russia would take if the offer was rejected.
Ukrainian deputy prime minister Irina Vereshchuk told news outlet Ukrainska Pravda that the country will not surrender any city.
“There can be no question of surrender, laying down of arms. We have already informed the Russian side of this,” said Vereshchuk. “I wrote: Instead of wasting time on eight pages of letters, just open the corridor.”
Vereshchuk continued to call out Russia and its military forces for behaving like “terrorists” in a video on Telegram. “They say they agree on the humanitarian corridor and in the morning, shell the place for evacuation.”
Mariupol, which has a population of 400,000, became one of the most bombarded cities in Ukraine since the Russian invasion. City officials said at least 2,300 people have died from the ongoing conflict.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made another attempt to appeal to the Russian public in a video message Sunday. Zelenskyy said that the Russian fatalities are increasing in the parts of Ukraine where fighting is rife. The Ukrainian leader added that no one is retrieving the bodies of the Russians that were killed.
“But I would like to know from the citizens of Russia – what has happened to you over the years that you haven’t noticed your losses?” said Zelenskyy in his video message, stressing that 14,000 Russian soldiers have died so far.