Russia demands that Ukrainians in the besieged city of Mariupol lay down their arms on Monday in exchange for freely rented out of the city, but Ukraine rejects the offer.
Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev of the Russian Ministry of Defense has called on the Ukrainian opposition in Mariupol to lay down their arms, according to Reuters.
“Everyone who lays down their weapons is guaranteed safe traffic out of Mariupol,” says Mizintsev, adding that humanitarian corridors will be opened out of Mariupol from 7 to 9 local time on Monday morning.
The Russian Ministry of Defense gave Ukraine until Monday at 4.00 Norwegian time (05.00 local time) to surrender Mariupol.
Rejects the offer
On Monday night, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk replies that there is no question of surrendering.
– We have already informed Russia about this, she says according to the newspaper Ukrainian truth.
The Russian military sent the Ukrainian side an eight-page letter. Vereshchuk says she responded briefly with demands that Russia open a humanitarian corridor “instead of wasting time on an eight-page letter.”
Previous attempts to evacuate residents from Mariupol and other cities have only partially succeeded, and the bombings have continued while civilians fled.
Mariupol City Council on Saturday accused Russia of transporting thousands of civilians, especially women and children, to Russia against its will. Among other things, the newspaper The Guardian spoke to civilians from the city who told about the abduction of neighbors and friends.
Art school attacked
Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian authorities said Russian forces had bombed an art school in Mariupol. President Volodymyr Zelenskyj says about 400 civilians had sought refuge at the art school.
– They are under the ruins, and we do not know how many of them have survived, he said in a video speech early Monday. But we know that we will definitely shoot down the pilot who dropped the bomb, as we have done with around 100 other such mass murderers.
Mariupol has been besieged for several weeks, and in recent days there have been street fights in the city center.
If Mariupol falls, Russian forces south and east of Ukraine will be able to rally. Western military experts point out that the forces trying to occupy Mariupol, one block at a time, may be too exhausted to contribute on other fronts.
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