MOSCOW, April 19. /TASS/. The Russian Defense Ministry offers nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries entrenched at the Azovstal metals plant in Mariupol to halt hostilities from 12:00 Moscow time, lay down their arms and surrender, Head of Russia’s National Defense Control Center Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said on Tuesday.

"Considering the disastrous situation that has developed at the Azovstal metallurgical plant and also following purely humanitarian principles, the Russian Armed Forces again offer militants of nationalist battalions and foreign mercenaries to halt any combat operations from 12:00 Moscow time on April 19, 2022 and lay down their arms," the general said.

As the general stressed, "the Russian Federation guarantees everyone that his life will be preserved and all the norms of the Geneva Convention on the Treatment of Prisoners of War will be complied with, as was the case with the Ukrainian army servicemen who earlier surrendered in Mariupol."

The Russian side also offers to establish contact from 13:00 Moscow time for data exchange, declare a ceasefire from 13:30 Moscow time and ensure that all Ukrainian military servicemen and foreign mercenaries without any exception leave Azovstal from 14:00 to 16:00 without any arms or ammunition, the general said.

"We again call on the Ukrainian authorities to show good sense, give corresponding orders to militants on the cessation of senseless resistance and leave the resistance area. However, being aware that they won’t receive such orders and commands from the Kiev regime, we call on them to make this decision on their own and lay down their arms," Mizintsev pointed out.

Russia will bring this statement to the notice of the UN, the OSCE (the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe), the International Committee of the Red Cross and other international organizations, the general said.