Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register April 17 (Reuters) – Russia’s Defense Ministry has told Ukrainian forces still fighting in the besieged southern port of Mariupol to lay down their weapons by 6 p.m. Moscow time (03:00 GMT) on Sunday to save their lives. Russia’s previous claim that its troops had cleared the Mariupol metropolitan area, the scene of the fiercest fighting and worst humanitarian catastrophe, could not be verified by an independent. It would be the first major city to fall to Russian forces since the February 24 invasion. read more Moscow has said that the remaining fighters in Mariupol – which it says are both Ukrainians and foreigners – are blocked at the Azovstal steel plant. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register “Taking into account the catastrophic situation at the Azovstal metallurgical plant, as well as on the basis of purely human principles, the Russian Armed Forces offer nationalist fighters and foreign mercenaries from 06:00 (Moscow time) on April 17, 2022. “to stop any hostilities and lay down arms,” the defense ministry said in a statement. “Everyone who lays down their arms is guaranteed that their lives will be saved.” Under the terms of the agreement proposed by Russia on Saturday, the remaining defenders at the Azovstal plant will leave between 6 p.m. and 13.00 Moscow time, without weapons or ammunition. The start of the delivery will be indicated by the raising of flags, the ministry said: “From the Russian side – red, from the Ukrainian – white, around the perimeter of Azovstal.” There was no immediate reaction from Kyiv to the offer. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Saturday accused Russia of “deliberately trying to destroy everyone” in Mariupol and said his government was in contact with defenders. But he did not mention Moscow’s claim that Ukrainian forces were no longer in urban areas. “I want to be heard right now: there has not been a single day since the start of the siege of Mariupol that we have not sought a solution – military or diplomatic,” Zelensky said in a video overnight speech. “But finding this solution is extremely difficult. Until now, there has not been a 100% realistic choice.” Mariupol, with its strategic location on the shores of the Sea of Azov, has been a target since the start of the war. It is located on the route between the Russian-annexed Crimean peninsula to the west and the Donetsk region to the east, which has been partly controlled by pro-Russian separatists since 2014. The Russian Defense Ministry also said it had “evacuated” 168,000 people from Mariupol so far. Ukraine said thousands had left violently. Attempts to evacuate civilians from Mariupol – some with the help of the International Committee of the Red Cross – have repeatedly failed, with both sides blaming each other. read more The total occupation of Mariupol would allow Russia to build a land bridge to Crimea and control the entire northern coast of the Sea of Azov. Sign up now for FREE unlimited access to Reuters.com Register Report by David Ljunggren and Lidia Kelly. Edited by: Raju Gopalakrishnan Written by Lidia Kelly? Our role models: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
