According to Ukrainian Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, defenders of the besieged city of Mariupol will fight to the death against Russian soldiers.

Despite Moscow’s ultimatum to remaining fighters to surrender, the port city has not fallen, he added.

Russia has chosen to raze Mariupol to the ground, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba.

Russian military have announced that no one would be allowed to enter or leave the city, says local officials.

Russia sees capturing the entire city as a huge strategic prize, as it would give it control of a large stretch of southern and eastern Ukraine.

Residents would be compelled to queue for a pass to allow them to move between areas, according to a mayor’s advisor, and some will have their phones confiscated or be sent to Russia against their will.

Mr Shmyhal stated in an interview with an US network that a Russian deadline for Ukrainian forces in Mariupol to surrender by Sunday had been violated.

“The city has not yet collapsed,” he stated. “Our military forces, our soldiers, are still present, and they will fight till the end. They are still in Mariupol as of now.”

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