Mariupol Faces Imminent Fall... 10 Million Ukrainians Displaced from Their Homes

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy reporters Hyunwoo Lee and Hyunjin Jung] The southern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol is on the brink of falling to Russian forces as of the 21st (local time). Mariupol, a strategic stronghold, has faced a severe humanitarian crisis after all food and water supplies were cut off following Russian airstrikes on Ukraine. Despite Russia's ultimatum to "surrender your weapons and leave," Ukraine has refused to surrender, and the battle is reaching its final stages. Since last month's airstrikes, indiscriminate bombings have continued, and the number of Ukrainian refugees has reached 10 million.

According to The Guardian, AP News, and others, Mikhail Mizintsev, commander of the National Defense Management Center under the Russian General Staff, stated in a briefing the previous day that "an ultimatum was issued to the Ukrainian forces in Mariupol to surrender." The Russian military demanded a response to the ultimatum by 5 a.m. Moscow time (11 a.m. Korean time) on the same day and ordered the Ukrainian forces to lay down their arms and leave the city within two hours thereafter.

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

Following the notification, the Ukrainian government immediately rejected the ultimatum. Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk declared, "We cannot surrender by laying down our weapons. This has already been communicated to Russia," expressing a determination to fight to the end. She added, "Stop wasting time with an eight-page letter and open a (humanitarian) corridor."

Mariupol is a strategic point connecting the eastern pro-Russian rebel-held territories and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia forcibly annexed from Ukraine in 2014. Since the beginning of the conflict, the Russian military has prioritized Mariupol as a key strategic objective. Citing Western military experts, AP reported that "the fall of Mariupol would allow Russian forces in southern and eastern Ukraine to unite," but also noted that "even if Mariupol falls, the troops are likely to be too exhausted to break through other fronts."

From the outset, Mariupol was surrounded by Russian forces, cutting off electricity, communications, and water supplies, leading to severe shortages of food and medicine and causing significant civilian casualties. Particularly, Russian airstrikes targeted not only children's hospitals and maternity wards but also civilian shelters such as theaters, drawing global condemnation. On this day, the Mariupol City Council reported that a bombing struck an arts school building sheltering about 400 residents, resulting in casualties.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded 10 million refugees since Russia's invasion of Ukraine on February 24. This means that more than a quarter of the entire population has been displaced. Ukraine's total population is approximately 44 million, but excluding the Crimean Peninsula, occupied by Russia since 2014, and the pro-Russian separatist regions in eastern Donbas, the estimated population is about 37 million. Among the refugees, 3,389,044 have fled abroad, with 90% of them being women and children. Regarding civilian casualties, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) reported that at least 902 civilians had died and 1,459 were injured in Ukraine as of the 19th. With Russia's continued indiscriminate bombings of civilian areas, the number of refugees and casualties is expected to rise further.

In this situation, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called for a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Given the worsening situation, including the death of the sixth general-level commander in the invading forces and daily death tolls exceeding 1,000, both sides are considering negotiations to end the war. President Zelensky stated, "We can prove that our military can strike and counterattack with the dignity of our people, but our dignity alone cannot preserve life," warning that "if attempts at negotiation fail, this war could escalate into a third world war."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.