Ukraine war live updates: Moscow issues Mariupol surrender ultimatum, Kyiv refuses

Monday marks the 25th day of war in Ukraine after the invasion was launched by Moscow on 24 February.

The fighting has forced more than ten million Ukrainians to flee their homes, with thousands of people killed or wounded and widespread damage in the wake of shelling and aerial bombardments.

Follow our live updates below.

The Russian military offered the Ukrainian troops defending the strategic port of Mariupol to lay down arms and exit the city via humanitarian corridors, but that proposal was quickly rejected by the Ukrainian authorities.

Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that Kyiv already had told Russia that “there can be no talk about surrender and laying down weapons.” She rejected the Russian statement as “manipulation”.

The authorities demanded that the humanitarian corridor be established as soon as possible instead.

Russian Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev stated on Sunday that Russia will wait until 5 am on Monday for a written response from Kyiv to the Russian proposal for the Ukrainian troops to leave Mariupol but did not say what action Russia will take if its “humanitarian offer” is rejected.