Ukraine said no to Russia’s request that it hand over Mariupol to Russian forces in exchange for stopping the shelling and raids on the eastern port city and letting people flee through a Russian-built corridor.
Per the Wall Street Journal, on Sunday, “Mikhail Mizintsev, the director of the Defense Ministry’s National Defense Control Center, stated Kyiv must answer Russia’s ultimatum by 5 a.m. Moscow time on Monday.”
The Ultimatum and Refusal
Russian Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said, “All who put down their guns are guaranteed safe travel out of Mariupol.”
He didn’t say what would happen if they didn’t.
I am sure I will die soon. It is a matter of a few days. In this city, everyone is constantly waiting for death. I just want it not to be too scary. – testimony of a woman in #Mariupol
— Anastasiia Lapatina (@lapatina_) March 21, 2022
That proposal was denied on Monday morning. “Ukraine opposes Russia’s demand that Mariupol is surrendered,” the Ukrainian administration stated early Monday through Twitter.
According to the Journal, the country’s Deputy Prime Minister, Iryna Vereshchuk, stated giving over the city was not an option and demanded Russia provide safe passage for residents.
Additionally, Vereshchuk stated, “There can be no thought of surrender or arming down. We have already communicated this to the Russian side.”
“I wrote, ‘Rather than wasting so much time on eight pages of letters, simply open the hallway,'” she continued.
“What Russia is attempting to get Ukraine to do is relinquish our right to liberty,” Ukrainian MP Lesia Vasylenko said on NPR Monday morning in response to the news.
“Nothing is more valuable to Ukrainians than liberty. Without liberty, life is meaningless to us.”
Attack on Civilians
It was reported by the Daily Wire last Thursday that Russian planes hit civilian areas, including a theater home to tens of thousands of defenseless Ukrainian people.
In reaction to the continual shelling, Ukrainian Catholic Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk called for prayers, declaring, “the sense of morality of every Christian demands that we make our voices heard throughout the world.”
“We must audibly said the word “No,” to express our fierce opposition to Ukraine’s mass killing.”
The Crucified Lord bears the wounds of the war in Ukraine, Major Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk said in a video message today. https://t.co/nhdRqt0B4l
— Catholic News Agency (@cnalive) March 15, 2022
“We are seeing mass slaughter in the besieged city of Mariupol, particularly in these final minutes,” Shevchuk remarked.
“This metropolis, named the ‘City of Mary’ by the Greek population, has been converted into a cemetery for tens of thousands of people.”
The revelation comes as the “Morning Wire” podcast stated on Monday, “Ukraine demonstrated amazing tenacity against the Russian army, prompting Putin to take more ‘desperate measures to shatter the Ukrainian people.”
According to reports, these escalating methods include forced deportations and greater attacks on civilians, especially children. Belarus, Russia’s neighbor, is also entering the conflict.”
“The Russian military’s continued failure to seize Ukraine in a short period resulted in a noticeable rise in the aggressive methods deployed, including reckless artillery fire on civilian positions,” Ian Haworth observed.
Although Mariupol has not yet surrendered, the Journal said, “the Ukrainian and Russian parties agreed on eight humanitarian routes for Monday, including several for Mariupol.”
