Russia Defense Ministry: Mariupol’s entire urban area cleared of Ukrainian forces

Russia says it has cleared all the urban areas of the southwestern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol of the presence of Ukrainian forces.

The announcement was made by Russia’s Defense Ministry on Saturday, adding that only a few Ukrainian fighters had remained in the city’s Azovstal steelworks.

"The entire urban area of ​​Mariupol has been completely cleared ... remnants of the Ukrainian group are currently completely blockaded on the territory of the Azovstal metallurgical plant," the ministry said, adding, "Their only chance to save their lives is to voluntarily lay
down their arms and surrender."

In an online post, the ministry noted that as of April 16, Ukrainian forces in the besieged port city had lost more than 4,000 people, RIA  news agency said.

Russia Ukraine Conflict in simple terms

It seems that the Russian military operation in Ukraine is taking a new turn, peace talks are currently in session with humanitarian corridors defined, but at the same time, conflict rages on.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a “special military operation” aimed at “demilitarization” of the Donetsk and Lugansk regions in eastern Ukraine. In 2014, the two regions declared themselves new republics, refusing to recognize Ukraine’s Western-backed government.

Mariupol’s capture would connect those regions to the Crimean peninsula, which voted to break away from Ukraine and join Russia in a referendum that was held in the same year.

The Russian ministry said in another part of its statement that 1,464 Ukrainian servicemen have surrendered so far, and the remaining fighters could join them by “voluntarily laying down their arms."

So far during the operation, Ukraine had lost more than 23,000 people, the ministry said, but did not specify whether this featured those who had died in battle or those who had been injured.

Russia strikes Kiev suburb

Also on Saturday, Russian military said it had launched airstrikes and missile attacks against the Ukrainian capital city of Kiev and other major cities.

Russian warplanes, Moscow said, had struck a tank repair factory in the city. An explosion was heard and smoke rose over the
southeastern Darnytskyi district of the Ukrainian capital. The mayor said at least one person was killed and medics were fighting to save others.

According to the Ukrainian military, Russian warplanes that took off from Belarus fired missiles at the Lviv region near the Polish border and four cruise missiles were shot down by Ukrainian air defenses.

Day 52: Russia steps up strikes on Kiev after warship sinks

A military hardware factory in the Ukrainian capital Kiev has been hit by strikes on the 52nd day of the conflict after Russian forces bombed a missile unit outside the city.

Zelensky warns: Elimination of last Mariupol troops would end Moscow talks

Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned on Saturday that Mariupol’s fall would put an end to peace talks with Moscow.

"The elimination of our troops, of our men [in Mariupol] will put an end to any negotiations" between Ukraine and Russia, he said in an interview with the Ukrainska Pravda news website.

"That will be an impasse as we don't negotiate neither our territories nor our people," he added.

Since the start of the conflict, Russian and Ukrainian negotiators have been holding talks in Belarus and then in Turkey.

Russia says it will halt the military operation instantly if Kiev meets Moscow’s list of conditions. Moscow has specified some of the demands as protection of its interests and nationals in Ukraine and prevention of the ex-Soviet republic’s accession to the Western military alliance of NATO.

Last Monday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Moscow had no plans to pause the military operation in Ukraine for subsequent rounds of peace talks and that the halt will take place so long as a final agreement is reached.

Lavrov made the remark while speaking in an interview with Russian state television, saying he saw no reason not to continue the talks with Ukraine but insisted that Moscow would not stop the campaign when the sides reconvened for peace negotiations.

Lavrov: Russia not to halt military operation in Ukraine for peace talks

Russia says Moscow has no plans to pause the military operation in Ukraine so long as a final agreement is reached.

Lavrov said President Vladimir Putin had ordered to suspend the military action during the first round of talks in late February but Moscow's position had has changed since.

“After we became convinced that the Ukrainians were not planning to reciprocate, a decision was made that during the next rounds of talks, there would be no pause in military action so long as a final agreement is not reached.”

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