Russia has set a new ultimatum for surrender in the battered city of Mariupol, where Ukrainian forces and reportedly hundreds of civilians are holed up in the Azovstal steel plant potentially facing their “last days, if not hours,” one Ukrainian commander said. Vastly outnumbered, the Ukrainian troops have pledged to keep fighting.
According to CCN, officials in Ukraine continue to call for more weapons support and faster delivery as Russia intensifies its bombardment of the eastern Donbas region.
Meanwhile, the U.S. is preparing a massive new arms package for Ukraine, according to sources who spoke to NBC, and Chinese imports of Russian coal have plummeted.
The United Nations says it has confirmed 2,224 civilian deaths and 2,897 injuries in Ukraine since Russia invaded its ex-Soviet neighbor on Feb. 24.
Of those killed, the U.N. has identified at least 42 girls and 61 boys, as well as 70 children whose gender is unknown.