This would be the time that the mayor and other city leaders would surrender the city to save the civilians but Mariupol is something of a citadel and the Azov goons and other militia, who have been blowing up Donbas for the last eight years, killing a couple thousand people per year, know the Russians will show them no mercy. So no surrender.
And all the poor mayor can do is plead for assistance from God knows who.
This is very bad.
From India's National Herald, March 5:
According to AFP, the Mayor, Vadim Boychenko, shared on his Telegram account, “For now, we are looking for solutions to humanitarian problems and all possible ways to get Mariupol out of the blockade. Our priority is the establishment of a ceasefire so that we can restore vital infrastructure and set up a humanitarian corridor to bring food and medicine into the city.”...
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Earlier today it was reported by Tass that the Commander of Ukrainian marines Lieutenant General Yuri Sodol had died of wounds suffered when his command vehicle was fired on at an Azov Battalion roadblock and that in retaliation the Ukrainian regulars bombed the Azov headquarters.
If any of this is true it would indicate a serious breakdown of discipline and incongruously, hope for the civilians.
Fog of war and all that however, haven't seen any confirmation from the Ukrainians.
Ukrainian army’s missile hits nationalist battalion’s headquarters in dispute
On the other side, three Russian commanders have been killed including the Major General Andrei Sukhovetsky, deputy commander of the Combined Arms Army.
