On Sunday, Ukrainian Prime Minister (PM) Denys Shmyhal affirmed that Ukraine’s Mariupol-based forces “will fight until the end,” after the Russia-declared deadline for the surrender of the besieged city elapsed.
In an interview with ABC News, Shmyhal declared, “The city still has not fallen,” underscoring that Ukraine is doing everything possible to prevent the strategic port city from falling into Russia’s hands. He also called the dire situation in Mariupol a “humanitarian catastrophe.” While talking about the conditions of the Ukrainian troops there, Shmyhal revealed, “They have no water, no food, no heat, no electricity.”
Asked by it about reports that #Putin believes he is #winning the #war, #Ukrainian PM Denys Shmyhal notes that no major city has fallen.
— JEREMY SONG (@JEREMYSONG750) April 18, 2022
“We have #battle in the #Donbas region right now but we do not have #intention to surrender.”
🇺🇦 👍👏👏👏
pic.twitter.com/smyCVJMqWq
Answering a question about Russia’s military focus on the Donbas region, the Ukrainian PM noted that Moscow has captured only one major city, Kherson, while all other cities remain under Ukrainian control. Moreover, Shmyhal affirmed that Kyiv is still open to further talks with Moscow, underlining that unless Russia meets its demands, it will continue to fight “to the end, to win in this war.”
In an address on Sunday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky called the situation in Mariupol “just inhuman,” accusing the Russian forces of “deliberately trying to destroy everyone” in the city. He emphasised that there are only two ways out of this grave situation: either Ukraine’s allies provide heavy weaponry or take a more decisive stance against Russia diplomatically. A day before, Zelensky stated that as Russia continues to escalate the violence in Ukraine, the possibilities of peace talks reduce.
The eastern part of Mariupol.
— Illia Ponomarenko 🇺🇦 (@IAPonomarenko) April 16, 2022
“Liberated” by Russia. pic.twitter.com/ndKH61Iljc
Last week, Ukrainian troops in Mariupol estimated that the upcoming wave of Russian assault might be the “last battle” as they criticised Kyiv officials for cutting off communication, though the dispute was later resolved. Mariupol is an important strategic city for Russia, as its port would give way for Russian forces to extend their attack across the Donbas region.
The Russian military claimed that Ukrainian authorities have given their forces in Mariupol strict instructions against surrendering to Russia. According to Moscow, Kyiv even threatened its own forces with punitive repercussions.
Day 54 of russia’s full-scale attack on Ukraine.1159 hours of Ukrainians fiercely fighting back. My Kyiv is standing tall.Mariupol is fiercely fighting.But russia continues to shell UA cities,russia is killing Ukrainians. Right now#StopRussia #StandWithUkraine️
— Margo Gontar (@MargoGontar) April 18, 2022
Russia’s long-range missile attacks intensified over the weekend. To this end, it claimed that it had neutralised a military factory in the south-eastern Darnytskyi district of Kyiv. Furthermore, local authorities from Kharkiv reported that at least one person had been killed in a Russian missile strike, while the western Ukrainian city of Lviv was hit by multiple Russian missile strikes on early Monday, killing at least six people and injuring 11. Lviv is just 70 kilometres away from the border of Poland, a North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) member.