3.20.22
Ukraine on Monday rejected an ultimatum to surrender the besieged city of Mariupol, its deputy prime minister told local media, demanding Moscow instead allow hundreds of thousands of terrified residents safe passage out. "We can't talk about surrendering weapons," Iryna Vereshchuk told Ukrainska Pravda hours before a Russian deadline. "We have already informed the Russian side about it," she said, demanding Moscow instead open humanitarian corridors to allow an estimated 350,000 people still trapped in the city to leave. Russia's Ministry of Defense had earlier said Ukraine had until 5am on March 21 to respond to Russian proposals, warning that more than a "court martial" awaits those who do not surrender. "We call on units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, territorial defense battalions, foreign mercenaries to stop hostilities, lay down their arms" said the head of the Russian National Defense Control Center Mikhail Mizintsev.
The southern port city of Mariupol is a pivotal target in Vladimir Putin's war in Ukraine — providing a land bridge between Russian forces in Crimea to the southwest and Russian-controled territory to the north and east. The city has been under heavy bombardment from surrounding Russian forces since the start of the invasion on Feb. 24. A Greek diplomat who remained in Mariupol during some of the bombardment said the destruction there would rank alongside history's most ruinous wartime assaults. "Mariupol will be included in a list of cities in the world that were completely destroyed by the war, such as Guernica, Stalingrad, Grozny, Aleppo," Manolis Androulakis said after flying back to Athens.