Ukraine Rejects Russian Ultimatum To Surrender Mariupol

Key Takeaways: Ukraine Refuses To Surrender Mariupol, Ammonia Gas Leak In Sumy

• Ukrainian authorities rejected Russia’s demand to surrender the besieged city of Mariupol at 5 a.m. on Monday, as Kyiv accused Russia of holding hundreds of thousands of civilians trapped in the city as hostages.
• Officials in the eastern Ukrainian city of Sumy detected an ammonia gas leak early on Monday as Russian forces continued to shell a chemical plant on the outskirts of the city. The city itself was not in any immediate danger and emergency authorities are working to contain the leak.
• At least eight people have been killed by a Russian missile attack on a major shopping center in Kyiv’s Podilskyi district late on Sunday. The attack caused a massive fire that appears to have completely gutted the shopping center building and local officials warn that the death toll is expected to rise.
• The U.K. defense ministry in its daily intelligence update said that while Russia’s offensive operations remain stalled, Kyiv remains the key objective and Russian forces are likely to prioritize encircling the capital in the coming weeks.

— Siladitya Ray