Dhe Ukrainian leadership has categorically rejected an ultimatum issued by the Russian military to the Mariupol defenders to surrender. “There will be no surrender, no laying down of arms,” Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk told Ukrayinska Pravda early Monday morning.
This had already been communicated to the Russian side. Rather, she demanded that the Russian military open a humanitarian corridor to the embattled port city on the Azov Sea. Mariupol is the last major port city on the Sea of Azov under Ukrainian control. More than 2,100 residents of the city have been killed since the Russian invasion began on February 24, according to the Ukrainian government.
On Sunday, Russia asked the Ukrainian troops in Mariupol to lay down their arms and leave the city on Monday morning. For this purpose, a corridor should be set up between 10 a.m. and 12 p.m. Moscow time (8 a.m. to 10 a.m. CET), Major General Mikhail Mizintsev said on Sunday, according to the Russian state agency TASS.
Accordingly, all armed units of Ukraine should leave the city “without weapons and ammunition on the route agreed with Ukraine”. Russia insisted on a “formal written response” from Ukraine on the proposals by 5:00 a.m. Moscow time (3:00 a.m. CET) Monday morning. Around two hours before the deadline came the negative answer from Kyiv.
The Russian Ministry of Defense had also addressed the authorities in Mariupol on the Internet service Telegram: “You are the ones who now have the right to make a historic decision – either you are on the side of your people or you are on the side of the criminals. “
Pro-Russian troops near Mariupol
Source: REUTERS
The ministry threatened: “Otherwise, the court-martial that awaits you is only a small part of what you have already earned for your contemptible attitude towards your own citizens and for the horrific crimes and provocations you have committed.”
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister announced that around 50 buses would leave for Mariupol for evacuations on Monday. She explained that 3,985 people could have left the city on Sunday. Across the country, 7,295 people were able to flee embattled cities.
Most recently, the city in south-eastern Ukraine was hit by the heaviest bombings since the outbreak of war. Many of the former 400,000 residents are trapped in the strategically important city, which has been encircled by the Russian military. Food and drinking water are scarce or non-existent, and the power supply has largely failed.
Mizintsev denied that Russian troops were using heavy weapons against Mariupol. Greece’s Consul General in Mariupol, Manolis Androulakis, on the other hand, reported massive destruction on his return home, in agreement with Ukrainian information. “Mariupol will join the list of cities completely destroyed by the war,” he said, citing Guernica, Coventry, Aleppo, Grozny and Leningrad.
Mizintsev blamed the devastation and loss of life on Ukrainian “bandits”, “neo-Nazis” and nationalists. These would roam the city in a frenzy of blood. The Russian military did not provide any evidence for these allegations.
Russian Air Force changes strategy
Meanwhile, according to Ukrainian military sources, the Russian Air Force has changed its attack strategy after initial casualties. “In 25 days, the Russian occupiers suffered heavy losses on land and in the air – 96 planes, 118 helicopters and dozens of cruise missiles and drones,” said Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuri Ignat, according to Ukrajinska Pravda on Sunday evening.
In view of these losses, a new strategy by the Russians has been apparent for two days, which has been using reconnaissance drones to monitor the results of rocket attacks. This information could not be independently verified.
Source: Infographic WORLD
The Ukrainian capital Kyiv was shaken by several explosions late Sunday evening. At least four people were killed when several buildings in the west of the city were shelled. This was announced by the local civil defense on its Facebook page on Monday morning.
According to Mayor Vitali Klitschko, several residential buildings in the Podil district were damaged and set on fire in the attack. A shopping center was also hit, bursting into flames along with a number of cars parked in front of it. “Rescue teams and paramedics are already on site,” Klitschko said on Telegram.
The southern Ukrainian port city of Odessa, on the other hand, registered the increasing use of Russian drones over and around the city on Sunday. “But everything is calm, there were no attacks,” the head of the regional military administration, Maxim Marchenko, was quoted as saying by “Ukrayinska Pravda”.
The air defense fired on the enemy’s drones. “The shooting down of some of these drones has already been confirmed,” Marchenko said. The information could not be independently verified. Odessa has so far been largely spared from the war.
Ammonia leak in Sumy
In a chemical plant in the city of Sumy in north-eastern Ukraine, highly toxic ammonia leaked out on Monday morning for reasons that are still unknown. Regional governor Dmytro Schywytzky raised the alarm via Telegram, among other things, and appealed to all residents within a five-kilometer radius of the chemical plant to go to the basement or apartments on the ground floor if possible, so as not to come into contact with the ammonia. The strongly pungent-smelling gas is lighter than air.
There is no danger to the city center, but the nearby village of Novoselytsia, around 1.5 kilometers south-east of Sumy, is at risk, Shyvytskyi said. He did not say how the leak happened. Emergency teams tried to contain it.
The city of Sumy has been shelled by Russia in recent weeks. About 263,000 people live there. The Russian military last week accused Ukraine of preparing a false flag attack on civilians with chemical weapons.
Negotiations are expected to continue on Monday
Negotiators from Ukraine and Russia have agreed on a new round of negotiations via video link for Monday. The two teams wanted to start talks in the morning, Ukrainian presidential adviser Mykhailo Podoliak told the Unian agency late Sunday evening. “Recently, working groups on both sides have been working intensively.” Last Monday, the last peace talks were held at a higher level.
According to Podoliak, negotiations with Moscow on an end to the war could last “several weeks”. However, there are now signs that Moscow’s position has recently become “more appropriate” and more realistic. He did not provide any further details.
Source: WELT/Markus Wüste infographic
Moscow’s maximum demands include Ukraine’s neutrality and the demilitarization of the neighboring country. In addition, Russia is demanding the recognition of Crimea as Russian territory and the independence of the breakaway so-called People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk. Ukraine has so far signaled a willingness to compromise in the talks on the country’s neutrality, but is demanding strong security guarantees from the West. In addition, Kyiv insists on territorial integrity.
Ultimately, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy insists on meeting directly with his adversary Vladimir Putin to negotiate. The Kremlin has so far rejected this.
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