Russia says it has opened up an evacuation corridor for Ukrainian forces who want to lay down their arms and safely leave the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol.
Moscow had earlier called on Ukrainian forces holed up in the plant to surrender by noon Moscow time (09:00 GMT) if they wanted to live.
It is not clear how many Ukrainian troops remain at the site.
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Russia’s defence ministry has set another deadline for Ukrainian
soldiers in the strategic southeastern city of Mariupol to surrender,
saying the lives of the troops inside a steelworks will be spared if
they stop what it called “senseless resistance”.
“All
who lay down their arms are guaranteed to remain alive,” the ministry
said in a statement on Tuesday, adding that troops would be able to
withdraw from the steel plant between 2pm and 4pm Moscow time
(11:00-13:00 GMT) “without exception, without any weapons and without
ammunition”.
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The Russian armed forces set up three humanitarian corridors near the Azovstal plant, with vehicles awaiting those who will decide to surrender, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said on Tuesday.
ReplyDelete"Three humanitarian corridors have been set up in the immediate proximity to the Azovstal plant in three directions: first, in the western direction in the Shevchenko Street; second, in the eastern direction in the Pobedy Avenue; third, in the northern direction in the Taganrogskaya Street," he said.
Every humanitarian convoy has 30 buses and cars to transport people and 10 ambulances, Mizintsev said. There are also meeting points and temporary accommodation centers, as well as first aid and meal stations.
Mizintsev said the Russian forces along with the units of the Donetsk People’s Republic will observe a ceasefire on all the routes of humanitarian convoys. Military units around the plant have been pulled back to a safe distance.
"We again call on the officials in Kiev to show prudence and to give instructions to the militants to stop the senseless resistance and leave the center of resistance," he said. "But realizing that commanders of the Ukrainian units may not receive such orders and commands from the Kiev government, we urge them to make a decision on their own and lay down their arms.".