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Close to conquering the maritime strip that runs from the pro-Russian regions of Donbas and Crimea in UkraineRussia issued an ultimatum until this Sunday for the Ukrainian defenses to lay down their weapons in Mariupolthe city that has received the most bombardments and in which there is no longer any civilian population.
But also this Sunday the response of the Ukrainian authorities was forceful: “Mariupol has not fallen, our military forces, our soldiers are still there and they will fight to the end”noted the Ukrainian Prime Minister, Denys Shmygalto the chain ABC.
The message from the Ukrainian government sought to destroy any type of negotiation and show that the Ukrainian soldiers were still fighting in the ruins of Mariupol. The main focus of Ukrainian resistance in the place was located in a metallurgical complex, which according to the Russian forces had to be abandoned before 1:00 p.m. (10:00 GMT). The streets are completely empty and the city devastated.
“All those who have laid down their arms will have the guarantee of saving their lives (…) It’s your only chance“, they had manifested early this Sunday from the Russian Ministry of Defense.
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In the midst of this advance, bombs continue to fall in the vicinity of kyiv following the sinking of the flagship cruiser “Moskva”flagship that was shot down in the Black Sea by Ukrainian Neptune missiles.
These attacks are added to the bombardments in the east and south of the country. Eyes, however, are on Mariupol, as a Russian victory would solidify control over the maritime strip and the city of 440,000 people.
For his part, the Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky He pointed out that there are two options to stop the Russian advance: NATO arms collaboration or negotiations with the same organization as a mediator.
On the other side, Vladimir Putin considers that he is winning the battle, as confirmed by the Austrian Chancellor Karl Nehammer following meeting him. Denys Shmygal dismissed these accounts, stressing that no Ukrainian cities had fallen. The battle is also played out on the discursive plane and in the strength of the versions of it.
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Humanitarian corridors, increasingly closed
Meanwhile, the humanitarian corridors for Ukrainians who decide to leave their land are becoming increasingly complex in the absence of an agreement with the Russians. To this is added the adjudication of the Zelensky government to that of Putin, accusing him of war crimes.
“This morning, we failed to negotiate a ceasefire on the evacuation routes with the (Russian) occupiers. For this reason, unfortunately, we are not opening humanitarian corridors today“Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk posted on Telegram.
The war for communication was also waged following the sinking of “Moskva” became knownsomething that was dismissed by the Russian government alluding to the fact that it was a fire.
This Sunday the Russian bombs fell near kyiv, following an attack on a factory where the Neptune missiles were assembled, which sank the Russian cruiser. On Saturday, other attacks in the center of the capital caused several fires.
Since the beginning of the war on February 24, 4.7 million people left Ukraine according to UN statistics.
gi / hb / ds
