According to Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, Russia has started a new phase of the operation in Ukraine. “I’m sure this will be an important moment in this whole special operation,” Lavrov said in an interview with India Today TV channel. It is about achieving the “complete liberation of the republics of Donetsk and Luhansk,” said Lavrov. He was referring to the republics proclaimed by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine, which Russia has recognized.

Russia’s Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu also reaffirmed his country’s military goal of wanting to liberate eastern Ukraine. “We are gradually implementing our plan to liberate the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics,” he said. At the same time, he accused the US government and its allies of “prolonging” the military operation by supplying arms to Ukraine. Russia is taking measures “to restore peaceful life,” Shoigu said at a televised meeting with Russian military commanders.

Ultimatum for steel mill in Mariupol

Earlier, Russia had ordered the Ukrainian armed forces to surrender and issued a new ultimatum to the units in the city of Mariupol. The Russian Defense Ministry called on all soldiers in the country to “immediately lay down their arms,” it said in a statement. “We address all members of the Ukrainian army and foreign mercenaries: they face an unenviable fate because of the cynicism of the Kiev authorities.”

The defenders of Mariupol are “guaranteed for survival” if they lay down their arms from midday. Then, in a cease-fire between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m., “all Ukrainian armed units and foreign mercenaries could come out without weapons and ammunition.” Then her life would be saved, it said.

Steelworks is apparently stormed

Pro-Russian separatists had previously announced that the storming of the Azovstal steelworks in the port city had begun with Russian help. The Russian Defense Ministry has denied reports that there are women, children and other civilians there. A little later, the authorities announced that they would give another chance to capitulate on “purely humane principles”. The Ukrainian government was called on to “use common sense and give the fighters appropriate instructions to end this senseless confrontation”.

Like other fighters in Mariupol who would have surrendered should they go into Russian captivity, it said. Accordingly, a dedicated line should be set up for communication between the Russian and Ukrainian sides. After that, a cease-fire was to come into effect from both sides. For this purpose, the Ukrainian side should affix white flags to the steelworks.

Ukraine: Russia rejects escape routes

Ukraine has criticized Russia for refusing requests to set up evacuation corridors in Mariupol so that residents who had sought refuge in the steelworks can escape to safety. According to Russian information, around 2,500 fighters, including 400 foreign mercenaries, are said to have holed up in the steelworks. According to Ukrainian media, around 1,000 civilians are also said to be staying in the plant.

Regarding the storming of the steelworks, pro-Russian separatist representative Eduard Bassurin told state media in Moscow that special troops had been put together and started work. Russian air force and artillery support them.

Third day in a row no escape corridors

Because of the Russian offensive in eastern Ukraine, no escape corridors have been set up for the third day in a row, according to Ukrainian sources. “Intense shelling in Donbass continues,” said Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk. “We continue difficult negotiations on the opening of humanitarian corridors in the Kherson and Kharkiv regions,” Vereshchuk wrote on her Telegram news channel.

The authorities had recently complained in various cities in eastern Ukraine that they could no longer bring people from the contested areas to safety because of the risk of shelling. Most recently, around 1,500 people reached safe areas via such routes over the weekend.

Russian attempts to break through throughout Donbass

According to Ukrainian sources, the Russian invasion troops concentrated their attacks on the Donbass. “The occupiers made an attempt to break through our defenses almost along the entire front line in the Donetsk, Luhansk and Kharkiv regions,” the General Staff said. They wanted to take complete control of the Luhansk and Donetsk regions.

The governor of the eastern Ukrainian region of Luhansk, Serhiy Hajdaj, spoke of a difficult situation given the increased Russian attacks. “Our defenders are holding the line of defence,” Hajdaj said on Ukrainian television. Attacks at Rubischne and Popasna were repelled. At the same time, he called on the remaining residents to get to safety. Authorities tried to organize buses that would then take people to prepared trains for evacuation of vulnerable places.

“Your offensive will fail”

Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych said the aim of the Russian advance in the Luhansk region was to isolate Ukrainian troops in the cities of Rubishne, Lysychansk and Sieverodonetsk. In the Kharkov region, 25,000 soldiers of the Russian army would attack from Izyum in the direction of Sloviansk and Kramatorsk in the Donetsk region. An offensive is also being attempted at Avdiivka near Donetsk.

At the same time, he is certain that Russia’s offensive in the Donbass will fail. This is only “very cautious” and Russian forces lack the strength to break through the Ukrainian defense lines. “Your offensive will fail, I give you a 99 percent guarantee,” said Arestovych.

Russia: Dozens of airstrikes in eastern Ukraine

According to the Ministry of Defense in Moscow, the Russian air force has bombed 60 military objects in Ukraine since the beginning of the week. Among them were two Ukrainian camps for Tochka-U missiles south-east of Kharkiv, said Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov. A Ukrainian MIG-29 fighter jet was shot down south-west of the city. A total of 1,260 military objects in Ukraine were shelled with artillery.

During the night, Ukrainian positions in Donbass and the Kharkiv region were attacked from the air with precision missiles, it said. According to Russian information, troop concentrations and military equipment of the Ukrainian armed forces near the towns of Barvinkove, Slowjansk and Popasna were also fired upon.

Belgorod reports shelling from Ukraine

Meanwhile, Russian authorities reported renewed shelling from the neighboring country in the Belgorod region on the border with Ukraine. The village of Golovchino was hit, there was destruction, a woman was injured, the governor of the Belgorod region, Vyacheslav Gladkov, said on Telegram. The region, which according to the authorities has been shelled on several occasions, borders on the contested Ukrainian region of Kharkiv.

At the beginning of April, two Ukrainian attack helicopters reportedly fired on an oil storage facility in the Belgorod region and set it on fire. Ukraine has neither confirmed nor denied this. In view of the shelling, Russia had threatened Ukraine that it would again target command posts for rocket attacks in the capital Kyiv.

Zelenskyy: “Battle for the Donbass” has begun

Earlier, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a video speech that Russian troops had started the expected major offensive in the east of the country. “We can now say that the Russian troops have started the battle for Donbass, for which they have been preparing for so long,” said Zelenskyy.

A large part of the Russian army was involved in this offensive. “No matter how many Russian troops are brought there, we will fight. We will defend ourselves. We will do this every day.”

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