Russia today gave another ultimatum to Ukrainian forces still resisting in the besieged city of Mariupol, especially in the Azovstal steel mill, to lay down their weapons until noon on Tuesday in exchange for saving their lives.
” Taking into account the catastrophic situation that has developed at the Azovstal metallurgical plant, in addition to being guided by purely human principles, the Russian Armed Forces once again offer militants of nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries to stop hostilities and lay down their weapons to starting at 12:00 (09.00 GMT),” said the Ministry of Defense.
“All those who lay down their arms are guaranteed the preservation of life,” the head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, said in a statement.
Russia proposes to establish from 13.00 (10.00 GMT) a continuous communication channel between the Russian and Ukrainian parties for the mutual exchange of information.
Half an hour later the militants of “nationalist battalions”, that is, the Azov regiment, and the mercenaries fighting with them, together with Russian forces and pro-Russian Donetsk militias, would declare a “regime of silence” or ceasefire and ensure its “strict compliance”.
“The real beginning of the 'regime of silence' on both sides would be indicated by the raising of flags - red, by Russia, and white on the Ukrainian side - around the entire perimeter of Azovstal.”
Between 1400 and 1600 local time, there would be “the departure of all Ukrainian armed units and mercenaries, without exception, without weapons or ammunition,” explained Mizintsev.
“Once again, we call on the official authorities in Kiev to show prudence, to give appropriate instructions to the militants to stop the senseless resistance and leave the center of the resistance” in Azovstal, he said.
If Kiev did not give the order, he added, Ukrainian defenders must “make that decision for themselves and lay down their arms,” he said.
The spokesman for the Donetsk militias, Eduard Basurin, said moments before that the assault on the steel mill, the last stronghold of resistance in Mariupol, has begun.
The adviser to the mayor of the city, Petro Andriushchenko, said on his Telegram account that the Russians “are attacking not only with Azovstal heavy bombs, but that artillery and tanks continue to chaotically attack a residential sector.”
In a broader message to Ukrainian soldiers in general, Mizintsev, made another appeal “to all military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and mercenaries: with the cynical attitude of the Kiev authorities, an unenviable fate awaits them,” he added in a broader message to the soldiers.
“Don't tempt your fate, but make the only right decision to stop hostilities and lay down your arms now, wherever your 'bosses' force you to fight for the ideas of Nazism,” Mizintsev said.
He assured that Russia “guarantees to each of you the preservation of life and compliance with all the norms of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War, as was the case with the military personnel of the Armed Forces of Ukraine who had previously surrendered in Mariupol.”
The Colonel General indicated that this statement will be sent immediately to the UN, OSCE, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) and other international organizations.
(with information from EFE)
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