Russia demanded that Ukrainian military and foreign fighters holed up at the Azovstal metallurgical complex in Mariupol, Ukraine's port city, lay down their guns by noon Moscow time (0900 GMT) on Tuesday if they wished to survive.

Since Russia dispatched soldiers into Ukraine on Feb. 24, Mariupol, which has been ringed by Russian troops for weeks, has seen the hardest combat and most complete devastation.

Russia Offers Ultimatum to Ukraine

On Monday, Ukrainian officials stated that 1,000 inhabitants were sheltering in subterranean bunkers beneath the massive Azovstal complex and that Russia was bombing the Ukrainian-controlled industry in the beleaguered city.

On Tuesday, Russia's defense ministry released a statement urging Ukrainian military and foreign fighters on the ground to surrender. It demanded that troops leave the steel factory with no exception, without weapons or ammo between 1400 and 1600 Moscow time, according to Reuters.

According to Col. Gen. Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia's National Defense Control Center, Ukrainian forces holed up on the grounds of the Azovstal iron and steelworks complex in Mariupol have until then to cease all hostilities and lay down their guns. Mizintsev said in a statement Tuesday that Moscow suggested the idea considering the tragic situation in the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, as well as simply humanitarian grounds.

From 2 pm, all Ukrainian forces and foreign mercenaries will be permitted to depart the factory without weapons or ammo till 4 pm, the time in the area, according to Mizintsev. Each Ukrainian soldier who surrenders is assured that their lives will be spared and that their rights as prisoners of war will be honored by Moscow, as per WBAL.

Read Also: Militant British National Captured in Mariupol Claims That Pro-Ukraine Soldiers Abandoned Civilian Welfare as the Russians Stormed the Port City

'Battle for Donbas' Begins

Putin's commanders are refocusing their efforts on the territories of Donetsk and Luhansk, as well as other regions of Ukraine's eastern flank, after their assaults on Kyiv were thwarted at every turn for weeks in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky dubbed 'The Battle of the Donbas' yesterday.

A succession of explosions was recorded along the front line in the Donetsk area, with shelling taking place in Marinka, Sloviansk, and Kramatorsk throughout the evening, according to Ukrainian media sites and Telegram groups.

Explosions were also reported in Kharkiv, in the northeast of Ukraine, Mykolaiv, in the south, and Zaporizhzhia, in the southeast, in accordance with local officials and media. Russian bombardment killed five civilians and injured 17, according to Kharkiv area Governor Oleh Synyehubov.

The next conflict is seen as crucial in determining Ukraine's - and maybe Russia's - final fate. After failing to conquer Kyiv more than two weeks ago, Russia has spent the days since massing forces in the east in an attempt to relaunch its failed invasion and achieve its first significant combat success.

The majority of forces had collected at Izyum, a city on the Donets River some 70 miles south of Kharkiv, in preparation for a push south towards Mariupol. If Russian forces conquer Mariupol, which is predicted to happen in the following weeks, these troops would likely begin a pincer march north to join up with the Izyum army.

The goal is to encircle the Ukrainian military, who have been battling Russian-backed rebels in Donetsk and Luhansk since 2014, Daily Mail reported.

Related Article: Moscow Reveals Actual Ukrainian Casualties in Its Military Service Since Hostilities Started on February 24