INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Two "super powerful bombs" rocked Mariupol on Tuesday as Ukrainian authorities made a fresh attempt at rescuing civilians from the besieged
the strategic city described by those who managed to escape as a "freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings,"
Human Rights Watch said, quoting figures provided by a local official."We know that there will not be enough space for everyone" on Tuesday,
but "we will try to carry out the evacuation until we have gotten all the inhabitants of Mariupol out," vowed Deputy Prime Minister Iryna
Vereshchuk in a video address.Two "super powerful bombs" slammed into the city even as rescue efforts were ongoing, said Mariupol local
authorities, without giving an immediate toll."It is clear that the occupiers are not interested in the city of Mariupol, they want to raze
it to the ground, to reduce it to ashes," the authorities said.Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelensky turned to Pope Francis for help, urging
the pontiff to mediate in the conflict and to help end "human suffering."Earlier, Zelensky said all issues would be on the table if Russia's
Vladimir Putin agreed to direct talks to end the war, including the contested eastern regions Donbas and the annexed Crimea peninsula.But he
warned his country would be "destroyed" before it surrenders.The Kremlin in return said it would like to see negotiations with Kyiv to be
"more active and substantial."Increasingly 'brutal'Russia's position was "well-known to the Ukrainian side" because Moscow handed over its
demands in written form "many days ago," Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said, adding, "we would like a more substantial and swift
answer."The two sides are currently holding negotiations remotely after several rounds of talks between delegations meeting on the border
President Joe Biden warned that Putin was considering using chemical and biological weapons in Ukraine, as he described Moscow's tactics as
increasingly "brutal."Biden is due to travel to Brussels on Thursday for a series of summits gathering NATO, EU and G7 leaders, before
heading to Poland, which has received the bulk of more than 3.5 million Ukrainians fleeing war in their country.'Desperate bid'Since Russia
launched its invasion on Feb
completely destroyed.Russia has pushed on with its assaults, in the face of unprecedented Western sanctions that has led international
believe the war was not going the way the Kremlin had planned.The invading forces were running out of supplies, Pentagon spokesman John
Kirby told CNN, describing them as "frustrated" and "stalled."The assessment was corroborated by Ukraine's army command which said Russian
troops now had ammunition, food and fuel to last just three days.Three hundred Russian soldiers have defected in the north-eastern Sumy
now increase over the last few days."In the occupied southern city of Kherson, Ukraine's leaders on Tuesday accused Russian troops of firing
on unarmed protesters.A series of videos posted on social media and the messaging app Telegram showed citizens gathering in Kherson's
person was wounded, said Ukraine's foreign ministry in a statement."The humanitarian situation is rapidly deteriorating," it said, accusing
Moscow of refusing to allow for an aid corridor to evacuate civilians and channel in food.Pivotal targetMore critical was the plight of
residents from Mariupol, who have been without electricity and water for days.Several bids to evacuate the population had been made but they
have rapidly collapsed with both sides trading blame over violations.Getting civilians out was the priority on Tuesday, said Ukrainian
Three routes have been drawn up linking the port city to Zaporizhzhia, Deputy Prime Minister Vereshschuk said.European Union foreign policy
chief Josep Borrell had described as a "massive war crime" the siege of Mariupol, which had killed more than 2,000 people.Russia had given
Mariupol until Monday morning to surrender, but Kyiv rejected the ultimatum and said the city's resistance was bolstering the defense of all
Russian-controlled territory to the north and east.Meanwhile in Kyiv, a 35-hour curfew came into effect from 8:00 p.m
(18:00 GMT) Monday, after Russian strikes laid waste to the "Retroville" shopping complex, killing at least eight people.Russia claimed the
mall was being used to store rocket systems and ammunition.Maxim Kostetskyi, 29, a lawyer, said residents in the capital were using the
much more confident, the morale is high and inspiring," he told AFP.'Unwinnable'Making his relentless push on the diplomatic front, Zelensky
breakaway Russian regions in Donbas, though he insisted he still believes they must be returned to Ukraine."At the first meeting with the
president of Russia, I am ready to raise these issues," he said, adding that any agreement involving "historic" changes would be put to a
national referendum.For UN chief Antonio Guterres, it was high time for Russia to end its "absurd war" in Ukraine."Even if Mariupol falls,
to move from the battlefield to the peace table
That is inevitable," he added.
