Pavel Polityuk and James Mackenzie

KYIV/KHARKIV – Russian President Vladimir Putin gave Ukrainian rebels in Mariupol a new ultimatum on Wednesday to give up. Russia was pushing for a decisive win in the eastern offensive. Western countries pledged greater military support to Kyiv.

The Battle of the Donbas was a battle between thousands of Russian soldiers and artillery, rocket fires, and supported by thousands of Ukrainian troops.

Russia’s eight-week-long invasion of Ukraine has failed to seize any major cities. Moscow is forced to focus on separatist regions.

However, the largest attack against a European country since 1945 saw nearly 5,000,000 people flee to other countries and reduce cities to rubble.

Late Tuesday night, a Ukrainian Presidential Advisor stated that Russia was attacking the Azovstal steel mill, which is the last stronghold of Mariupol. Reuters was unable to verify this information.

Mykhailo Polyak, adviser to the NYSE wrote that “The entire world is watching online murders of children and still remains silent.”

Russia’s defence ministry declared that not one Ukrainian soldier had yet surrendered, and the deadline was approaching midnight. It then renewed the offer. Ukrainian commanders promised not to surrender.

The Russian Defence Ministry stated that “Russian armed forces, which are based solely on humanitarian principles”, again proposed to the Russian Defence Ministry that fighters of foreign mercenaries and nationalist battalions cease military operations at 1400 Moscow Time on April 20th and put down arms.”

Canada, the United States and Britain all stated that they will send more artillery weaponsry.

Jen Psaki, spokesperson for the White House, stated that they will continue to supply them with more ammunition and will also provide more military support. She added that new sanctions are being developed.

Multiple sources informed Reuters that U.S. President Joe Biden would announce a new, roughly equal-sized military aid package to the one announced last week at $800million in the coming days.

Antonio Guterres, U.N. Secretary General, called for humanitarian relief to stop fighting over the weekend of Easter when Orthodox Christians are celebrating. This will allow civilians to flee and aid can be provided.

Russia claims it has launched a special military operation on February 24th to “denazify and demilitarize” Ukraine. This is not true, Kyiv says and Western allies also reject it as a pretext.

CITY CAPTURED

Ukraine claimed that the attack had led to the capture Kreminna, an administrative center for 18,000 residents in Luhansk’s Donbas Province.

Sergei Lavrov, Russian Foreign Minister, confirmed that “another phase of this operation” is underway.

Russia was forced back in March by Ukrainian forces following an offensive on Kyiv, the north. Instead of sending troops to the east for its Donbas offensive, Russia sent more troops. Russia has launched long-distance attacks on other targets, including the capital.

Russia has used the Donbas, a coal- and steel-producing region to focus its campaign against Ukraine. This began in 2014, when Russia employed proxies and set up separatist “peoples republics” within parts of Luhansk or Donetsk.

According to Interfax, 120 civilians were evacuated from Mariupol by humanitarian corridors after the conflict’s worst fighting.

Mariupol is under siege since war began. Tens to thousands of people have been trapped without food and water, leaving behind bodies in the streets. Ukraine estimates that there have been more than 20,000 deaths of civilians in this area.

The Russian Army will always be remembered as one of the most brutal and inhuman armies in the history of the world,” said President Volodymyr Zilenskiy in a video speech.

The Russian army’s brand signature is “Deliberately killing civilians”, destroying civilian infrastructure and residential areas, as well as using any kind of weapon, even those that are prohibited under international conventions.

Russia denies using banned weapons and targeting civilians during its invasion of Ukraine. It claims, however, that there are no evidence to support the claim.

Azov Battalion of Ukraine claimed that video showed the lives of people in underground networks beneath steel plants. It said hundreds of elderly and children are living there with decreasing supplies.

“We lost our home; we lost our livelihood. We desire to lead a peaceful, normal life. “We want to escape from here,” a woman who is not identified says in the video.

“There’s a lot of hungry children here. We beg of you to get us out. Already we’ve shed all our tears. “We can’t even cry any more,” she said.

Reuters was unable to independently confirm where and when the video was taken.

Since March 29, Kyiv has not had face-to-face meetings with Moscow. Each party blames the other.

“Obviously, considering the Mariupol tragedy,” Podolyak, a Ukrainian Presidential Advisor, stated to Reuters.