The city of Mariupol, which is under siege by Russian occupation forces, has not agreed to a Russian ultimatum to surrender and continues to fight.
The BBC reports that yesterday the Russian side gave the defenders of the city a deadline for surrendering until 05:00 on March 21, and in return promised to create two humanitarian corridors through which civilians would leave the city.
The Ukrainian side did not agree to the ultimatum.
“There can be no question of surrender, of laying down arms,” Ukraine’s deputy prime minister told the local Ukrainska Pravda.
An adviser to the city mayor told the BBC that Russia’s conditions could not be trusted and that the city’s defenders would fight to the last soldier.
Currently, fighting continues on the outskirts of the city of Mariupol.
Mariupol, with its strategic location on the coast of the Sea of Azov, has been a target since the start of the war on Feb. 24 when Russian President Vladimir Putin launched what he called a “special military operation.”
The city lies on the route between the Russian-annexed peninsula of Crimea to the west, and the Donetsk region to the east, which is partially controlled by pro-Russian separatists.
By Ana Dumbadze
Image source: Reuters
