Russia’s Defense Ministry issued a statement Tuesday saying Russian forces had opened an evacuation corridor around the besieged Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, a claim rejected by a Ukrainian police officer on the spot.
“Given the catastrophic situation that developed at the Azovstal metallurgical plant in the city of Mariupol, and also guided by purely humanitarian principles, from 14:00 (14:00 Moscow time) on April 19, 2022, the Russian armed forces opened a humanitarian corridor for the withdrawal of Ukrainian military personnel who voluntarily laid down their arms and fighters from nationalist formations, “the statement said. and the formations of the Donetsk People’s Republic along the entire perimeter of Azovstal have been brought to a safe distance. “
The statement reiterated a call for Ukrainian forces to surrender. “Realizing that the commanders of the Ukrainian units may not receive such orders and commands from the authorities in Kyiv, we urge them to make the decision themselves and to lay down their arms,” the statement said.
Mikhail Vershinin, head of the Mariupol patrol police, called Russian conditions “unacceptable” for the detention of Ukrainian forces at the plant.
“No one will agree with them,” he said. “Exits, corridors, etc., they have already announced this a thousand times.
Vershinin said the Azovstal plant, where Ukrainian defenders are being held and civilians are hiding, has been hit by “super-powerful bombs. And this will continue.”
A video of women and children allegedly sheltered in the basement of the Azovstal plant in the besieged Ukrainian port of Mariupol appeared on social media on Monday night. Vershinin said the Russians have allowed some civilians to leave, but others are reluctant to leave the city on evacuation routes leading to Russian-controlled territory.
“Those who stayed inside [Azovstal] shelters are people who definitely do not want to go to the DNR [the separatist Donetsk People’s Republic]they want to go to Ukraine, “Vershinin said.
“That is why we insist: Organize a corridor, the safety of civilians must be guaranteed. The Russians think it’s fake. It’s not fake. This is a real video shot in the shelters of the factory. shelters due to constant shelling. We filmed in a shelter that we could reach. And there are hundreds of them throughout the territory. [the Russians] declare humanitarian corridors, ceasefire. They say, get out, surrender, get the civilians out of here. Those civilians who wanted to leave left. Those who remain will not go to the Russians. That is why we want a humanitarian corridor to the Ukrainian side, “Vershinin said.
Russia says evacuation corridors will be opened on Wednesday: Later Tuesday night, Russia’s defense ministry issued a statement saying it was proposing a ceasefire to Ukrainian forces surrounded in the besieged city of Mariupol on Wednesday at 14:00 Moscow time (7:00 am am ET), claiming that Ukrainian forces had failed to take advantage of a previous offer to withdraw and lay down their arms.
Russia’s statement said Russian armed forces and separatist formations of the Donetsk People’s Republic at the time would cease hostilities around the perimeter of the besieged Azovstal steel plant and withdraw to a safe distance.
CNN’s Josh Pennington contributed to the report for this post.
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