Colonel General and Director of the Russian National Defense Control Center, Mikhail Mizintsev, said that the Ukrainian army and foreign mercenaries should leave the city of Mariupol in two hours, between 10:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. local time, the same as in Mozambique. Some news outlets said the deadline was until 05:00 in the morning.

"Everyone who puts down their weapons is guaranteed safe passage out of Mariupol," he said

Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said that the country will not accept the Russian demand for the surrender of the country's forces in the port city.

"There can be no surrender, no laying down of arms. We have already informed the Russian side about that," Vereshchuk said in the early hours of today.

The Center also announced the opening of the space for the entry of humanitarian caravans with food, medicine and basic necessities for the withdrawal of civilians.

According to Mizintsev, humanitarian corridors would be opened west and east of Mariupol, allowing civilians to leave the city.

Mizintsev called on international organizations such as the United Nations and the Red Cross to send representatives to accompany the civilian withdrawals.

The Russian military has besieged the city of Mariupol and now the situation is chaotic: it is without food, water and power, there is extreme violence, destruction and corpses strewn in the streets.

Russia launched a military offensive in Ukraine on February 24 that caused at least 902 deaths and 1,459 wounded among the civilian population, including more than 170 children, and caused more than 10 million people to flee, including more than 3.3 million to neighboring countries, the latest UN data indicate.

According to the United Nations, some 13 million people are in need of humanitarian assistance in Ukraine.