Russia confirms the death of a naval commander, demands Ukraine surrender in Mariupol

Governor Mikhail Razvozhayev announced on the Telegram channel on March 20 that Colonel Andrei Paliy, 51 years old, a commander of the Black Sea Fleet was killed while fighting in the port city of Mariupol, in the east. Ukraine.

Colonel Andrei Paliy, a commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Photo: Anadolu

Paliy was born in Kiev and is currently a member of the garrison in Sevastopol, the main base of the Black Sea Fleet since the annexation of Crimea by Russia in 2014.

According to the Telegraph, the death of this officer was first revealed by his former colleagues on Russian social networks. Konstantin Tsarenko, who worked with Paliy at the Russian Naval School in Sevastopol, shared the information on the VKontakte social network, but later deleted the post.

However, former Russian naval officer Igor Savostin wrote on the same social network that Mr Paliy “died his life like a true commissar while leading the marines in battle”.

Navy Russia Has not yet responded to a request for comment on the incident.

Meanwhile, according to Reuters, the Russian military on March 20 demanded the surrender of Ukrainian forces in Mariupol.

“Put down your arms. A terrible humanitarian disaster has occurred. All those who lay down their arms are assured of safety from Mariupol,” said Colonel Mikhail Mizintsev, director of the Center for Defense Management. state of Russia stated in a press conference of the Russian Ministry of Defense.

A residential area in Mariupol destroyed by Russian air strikes. Photo: Reuters

Mariupol has come under some of the heaviest shelling since Russia launched its military offensive against Ukraine on February 24. Many of the city’s 400,000 residents are still trapped here with little food and water and limited electricity supplies.

Mizintsev said that Russia will open humanitarian corridors in the east and west to evacuate civilians from Mariupol at 10:00 am Moscow time (14:00 Vietnam time) on March 21. The official emphasized that Ukrainian forces will have until 5am local time (9am Vietnam time) on the same day to surrender and respond to Moscow’s proposal to open a humanitarian corridor.

Although he did not provide evidence, Mizintsev accused nationalists and “neo-fascists” of causing “terrorism and mass shootings” in the city. He confirmed that Russian troops are not currently using heavy weapons in Mariupol. According to the official, Russia has evacuated 59,304 people from the city, but 130,000 civilians are still “held hostage” here.

However, in a message posted on Telegram on March 19, the Mariupol city council alleges that tens of thousands of residents “have been kidnapped and deported” to Russia in the past week.

According to BBC, fighting is still going on fiercely in Mariupol. If the city falls, it would give Russia control of one of Ukraine’s largest seaports and create a land corridor linking Crimea with the Moscow-backed separatist regions Luhansk and Donetsk.

Tuan Anh

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