Moscow: After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared on Thursday that Mariupol has been ‘successfully liberated’, the mayor of the strategic Ukrainian port city claimed invading troops had been ordered to shoot remaining civilians if they don’t display white ribbons to indicate surrender.
“The occupiers no longer mildly propose civilians wear white ribbons to mark themselves out — they have turned to direct threats to open fire on anyone seen on the street without such ribbons,” Vadym Boychenko said in a Telegram post.
“We saw that people with white ribbons (on their cars) were leaving,” AFP quoted a woman named Darya as saying.
Putin, however, has asked his troops not to storm the Azovstal steel plant, last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the city, but to block it so that none can escape.
Russia’s defence minister Sergei Shoigu earlier said that their forces were “methodically” carrying out plans to “liberate” two breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine.
He said on Thursday that the Azovstal steel plant was “securely blocked.”
Mariupol has been at the receiving end of relentless shelling for several weeks. Some managed to flee, but many others were stopped in their tracks due to sustained attacks.
According to Ukrainian officials, only four buses carrying civilians managed to get out of Mariupol.
Those who remain trapped had to melt snow for drinking water and cook whatever food they managed on open fires as supplies ran out or were cut off by Russian forces.
