Russia Ukraine conflict: Civilians trapped in Mariupol as deadline for surrender passes

Vladimir Putin’s Russian army is close to capturing the city of Mariupol, in Ukraine. Hundreds of civilians remain trapped in the city.

Just a few dozen civilians have managed to flee the besieged city through sporadic humanitarian corridors, as the last fighters still holding out in the city defied a Russian ultimatum for them to surrender.

President Zelenskyy said the situation inside Mariupol was getting worse, with about 1,000 civilians still said to be sheltering inside a steel plant alongside the remaining Ukrainian forces, under a barrage of fire.

Russia is waging its offensive along the eastern front, stretching from Kherson and Mariupol as far north as Kharkiv, as Moscow’s forces attempt to capture a wide swathe of territory and cut off Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea.