MOSCOW, April 17./TASS/. The Russian Armed Forces offer the militants from the nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries blocked in Mariupol to end hostilities and lay down arms from 06:00 Moscow time on Sunday, April 17, their lives will be spared, Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said on Saturday.

"Given the catastrophic situation at the Azovstal iron and steel works, and out of purely humane principles, the Russian Armed Forces offer the militants from nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries to end hostilities and lay down arms from 06:00 Moscow time on April 17, 2022. The lives of all those who lay down their arms will be spared," the statement said.

The following algorithm is suggested - from 05:00, a constant communication is established between the Russian and Ukrainian sides to exchange information. A ceasefire is announced from 05:30 Moscow time. At 06:00, the sides raise flags - red flags from the Russian side and white flags along the whole perimeter of the plant by the Ukrainian side.

Besides, the fact of readiness for the ceasefire by the sides is confirmed through all channels of communication. From 06:00 to 13:00 - all without exception Ukrainian armed units and foreign mercenaries leave without any weapons or ammunition whatsoever.

The subject matter of radio communications of units of nationalists and mercenaries blocked at Azovstal testifies to their hopeless situation. They demand that the official Kiev give them permission to surrender, but in reply they are threatened with executions, Mikhail Mizintsev stressed.

"Within April 16, 2022, a sharp increase was recorded in the intensity of radio communications of militants from nationalist units and foreign mercenaries blocked in Mariupol at the Azovstal metallurgical plant," he reported. "The content of radio interceptions (there were 367 of them alone in the past 24 hours) indicates that the militants offering resistance are in a hopeless situation, practically without food and water. They urge permission to lay down arms and surrender from the Kiev authorities. Meanwhile, representatives of the Kiev authorities categorically forbid them to do this and threaten with subsequent executions under the ‘wartime’ conditions," the statement said.