Ukraine Says It Won’t Surrender Mariupol Following Russia’s Deadline Offer

Topline

The Russian Defense Ministry demanded Ukraine surrender the besieged city of Mariupol on Sunday, stating Ukrainian forces have until 5 a.m. Moscow time (10 p.m. ET) Monday to lay down arms, but Ukraine rejected these terms.

Key Facts

Russian Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev called for Ukraine’s surrender of Mariupol via the state-run media outlet RIA Novosti, referring to Ukrainian forces as “bandits” and “nationalist battalions,” according to a translation from CNN.

Following a surrender, the Russian Defense Ministry says it would open humanitarian corridors for Ukrainians trapped in the city, which has seen thousands of reported civilian casualties in recent days.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk told the news outlet Ukrainian Pravda, “There can be no talk of any surrender” or “laying down of arms,” adding Ukraine had already conveyed this stance to Russia, according to a translation from the Associated Press.

Crucial Quote

“Instead of wasting time on eight pages of letters, just open the corridor,” Vereshchuk demanded of Russia, according to the AP’s translation of Ukrainian Pravda.

Key Background

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of committing war crimes in Mariupol in a speech released and translated on his Facebook page Saturday. Earlier Sunday, Ukrainian officials accused Russia of bombing an art school in Mariupol that was being used as a civilian shelter, according to the Washington Post. Mariupol mayor Vadym Boychenko said about 400 women, children and eldery were inside, according to the Post, though it could not independently verify the claim. On Wednesday, Russian forces bombed a theater in Mariupol reportedly being used to shelter women and children, according to CNN. Satellite imagery from the technology company Maxar showed the Russian word for “children” was written in large letters on the ground next to the theater two days before it was reportedly bombed. A maternity hospital in Mariupol was bombed the same day, killing a pregnant woman and her baby, according to the Associated Press.