Russia on Tuesday offered another chance to surrender to the remaining Ukrainian forces holed up at the Azovstal steel plant in the Black Sea port city of Mariupol.
All those holed up at Azovstal should exit the facility between 14:00 and 16:00 Moscow time without any arms or ammunition on them, the Defense Ministry directed.
“Considering the catastrophic situation at the Azovstal metallurgical plant…the Russian Armed Forces again offer militants of nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries to stop hostilities and lay down their arms starting 12pm Moscow time on April 19, 2022,” the Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement.
“All who lay down their weapons are guaranteed the preservation of life,” the ministry added.
The wording of the statement repeated – almost word for word – a similar offer made to the Ukrainian forces on Sunday, which they ended up rejecting. The Kiev authorities reportedly strictly forbids its troops from surrendering to Russians.