“Inhuman” situation in Mariupol, which the Russians claim to largely control
The situation in the strategic port of Mariupol is “inhuman”the Ukrainian president said on Saturday evening, calling on Westerners to provide ” immediately “ the heavy weapons it has been demanding for several weeks, while Russia claims to control almost the entire city and launches a new appeal to its last defenders to lay down their arms.
“The situation in Mariupol remains as serious as it can get. Simply inhuman”launched Volodymyr Zelensky in a video message. “That’s what the Russian Federation did. Did it deliberately. (…) Russia is deliberately trying to destroy anyone in Mariupol”in the south-east of Ukraine.
According to him, there is only “two options” : “Either the partners provide Ukraine with all the necessary heavy weapons, planes and, without exaggeration, immediately” pour “reduce the pressure on Mariupol and lift the siege” of this city inhabited by 441,000 people before the invasion on February 24.
“Either the path of negotiation, in which the role of the partners should also be decisive”continued the Ukrainian President, saying that the search for a solution “military or diplomatic” was an activity ” daily “ since the beginning of the blockade but turned out “extremely difficult”.
Comments published when the Russian Ministry of Defense asked the last Ukrainian fighters entrenched in the Azovstal metallurgical complex to cease fighting at 6 a.m. Moscow time (0300 GMT) on Sunday and to evacuate the premises before 1 p.m. hours (10:00 GMT).
“All those who have given up their arms will be guaranteed to have their lives saved”assured the ministry on Telegram. “It’s their only chance”. Apart from this pocket of resistance, “the entire territory of the city of Mariupol has been cleared of militants of the Nazi formation Azov, foreign mercenaries and Ukrainian soldiers”he said.