Moscow has said it will save the lives of troops in a closed steel plant – but only if they surrender by 11:00 GMT. Earlier, Russia said it had cleared the Mariupol metropolitan area, a claim that could not be verified by an independent. If it fell, Mariupol would be the first major city to be conquered by Russia. Key developments: Ukraine’s president speaks to Swedish and British leaders about deadly aid • The EU will impose sanctions on Sberbank, Russia’s biggest creditor, says European Commission chief in its own war logic “ Johnson and Troy were excluded from Russia. According to reports, 700 Ukrainian soldiers were captured – follow live updates Russia says extradition deal “guided by purely human principles” Under the terms of the surrender agreement proposed by Moscow, the Ukrainian fighters have a window from 4 p.m. GMT until 11 a.m. GMT to leave the Azovstal plant without weapons or ammunition. The start of the surrender will be indicated by the raising of flags, said the Russian Ministry of Defense. Moscow said the terms of the proposed extradition agreement were “guided by purely human principles” because of a “catastrophic situation that has been created”. Ukrainian fighter jets had preceded it in underground tunnels and warehouses at another steel plant in the city, but Russia claimed to have occupied the site on Friday. The plant was turned into sandblasted concrete and twisted steel, and several civilian bodies were found on nearby streets, according to Reuters. Image: Vehicle debris at Illich steel plant Image: Russia claims to have cleared urban areas of Mariupol It is “extremely difficult” to find a solution for the bombing of Mariupol In his overnight speech, the President of Ukraine said that the situation in Mariupol is “inhuman” and “remains as serious as possible”. “This is what the Russian Federation did, it did it on purpose,” said Volodymyr Zelenskyy. “It is deliberately continuing to destroy cities. Russia is deliberately trying to destroy everyone there in Mariupol.” Mr Zelenskyy added that he was continuing to push Western leaders for more deadly aid, so “we can reduce the pressure on the occupiers in Mariupol and unblock it”. Image: Russian military escort on the move near Mariupol “Not a day has passed since the blockade of Mariupol without us seeking a solution,” he said. “Military or diplomatic – anything to save people. But finding this solution is extremely difficult. So far, there is no 100% valid choice.” In its push to capture the city of Mariupol, Russia suffered the loss of General Vladimir Frolov – considered the eighth Russian general killed in the war. Lt. Gen. Frolov, deputy commander of the 8th Army, “died a heroic death in battle,” said Governor Alexander Beglov. He was buried in St. Petersburg on Saturday, and Russian media showed images of his grave filled with red and white flowers. Warning of new strikes in Kyiv Elsewhere on Saturday, Kyiv and Kharkiv were hit by a series of long-range rocket attacks. A mother cried over the body of her 15-year-old son when rockets hit a residential area in Kharkov. An infant and at least eight other people have been killed, Ukrainian officials say. A bomb blast near the northern city of Kyiv has killed at least one person and injured dozens more, the city mayor has said. “We do not rule out further strikes in the capital,” said Mayor Vitali Klitschko. “If you have the opportunity to stay a little longer in cities where it is safer, do it.” The Russian Defense Ministry claimed that it was targeting an armored vehicle factory and other military locations with “high-precision long-range air weapons”.
