Ukrainians will fight against Russia 'until last person is left and ammunition runs out'

Ukrainians will not stop defending their country, the mayor of a city under-attack by invading Russian forces has said

Ukrainians will fight against invading Russian forces until "the last person" is left and ammunition has run out, the mayor of a city which has come under intense attack in recent days has told ITV News.

On Monday, Russian military forces opened fire on the city of Mykolaiv, according to Ukraine’s General Staff.

The Black Sea shipbuilding centre of a half-million people is only around 40 miles from the city of Kherson, the biggest city to have fallen to invading Russian forces so far.

Speaking to ITV News on Tuesday, mayor Oleksandr Syenkevych said Russian troops were outside the city and had launched more than 100 rockets on Mykolaiv on Monday.

Mr Syenkevych claimed the Russians used cluster bombs - these are banned as they launch 'bomblets' when they explode, meaning they cannot be used with precision and can cause huge numbers of civilian deaths and injuries - in an attack on the city on Monday which saw 64 civilian buildings targeted and a further 40 unexploded rockets land in the city.

The claims and figures provided by Mr Syenkevych could not immediately be independently verified, but intelligence from the UK's Ministry of Defence (MoD) shows that Russian forces are advancing on Mykolaiv and have launched rocket attacks on it.

Mr Syenkevych said that by comparison, Tuesday had been much quieter and work was ongoing to find new places to live for those whose homes had been damaged in the attacks.

He added that already many people have fled west from the city to nearby Odessa and to neighbouring countries, but those who can "hold weapons" are staying to fight and defend Mykolaiv.

"Ukrainians are the nation that is really ready to pay their lives for freedom so I think we will stand until the last person...

"I don't expect this conflict to be short, I think we need to be ready for long-term war because they have a lot of soldiers... and they send them to Ukraine to kill our people, to destroy our cities, so we will defend until the last ammo."

Mr Syenkevych also accused Russia of shooting at people using evacuation corridors, and also using them to replace equipment and to "shoot fake news on how they rescue people".

Kateryna Haidarzhyi fled Mykolaiv with her husband and two young children when attacks on the city began at the end of February. The family live near a military base and feared their home could be hit.

The linguistics lecturer said that while she had a "beautiful" home and a business she spent years building in Mykolaiv, it was no decision to leave "her whole life" behind when compared to the safety of her sons who are aged four and six.

Kateryna Haidarzhyi and her family have fled the invading Russian forces twice

They drove around 55 miles to the town of Voznesens'k where both she and her husband are from and stayed with her in-laws, but while they were there Ms Haidarzhyi said she saw military aircraft shooting at homes.

She said the family then made the decision to flee again, driving for 12 hours to reach the city of Vinnytsia in the centre of the country where they are now staying with friends.

Ms Haidarzhyi said her husband's parents did not want to leave with them and her own parents are cut off and unable to flee as they live in a small village around 10 miles from Voznesens'k, but destroyed bridges mean they are trapped. She said she was unable to say goodbye to her parents because of this.

Everyday she messages her parents at 7am and 7pm so that each knows the other is alive.

She said that before the war her sons were confident and independent, but now they worry if they are not with their parents and cannot sleep without them.

More than two million Ukrainians have fled the country since Russian forces invaded in the early hours of February 24, making it the quickest exodus of people in Europe since the Second World War.

In recent days, multiple attempts have been made to allow civilians safe passage out of Ukrainian cities under attack - but Russian forces have reportedly broken every ceasefire, with claims forces have even targeted those trying to flee.

However, on Tuesday, a safe route was opened out of the city of Sumy.

Buses, packed with people fleeing shelling in the eastern city were seen driving down a snowy road out of the city.

Video posted by the Ukrainian state communications agency showed people with bags boarding buses, but it was not clear how long the effort would last.

How significant is it that one humanitarian corridor seems to be working? ITV News Europe Editor James Mates explains

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said evacuation buses had been sent to Mariupol too, but said there was no firm agreement on the route, so "Russian troops can simply shoot on this transport on the way."

ITV News Correspondent Dan Rivers reported that a humanitarian convoy would be unable to leave the southern city for the fourth day in a row due to continued fighting.

In the encircled port city an estimated 200,000 people — nearly half the population of 430,000 — is stuck, hoping to flee.

Senior International Correspondent John Irvine and his team film the moment Russian tanks turn their turrets on the convoy they were travelling in to leave Mariupol earlier this month

For days, residents in Mariupol have had no water or power as a result of heavy shelling by the Russians.

Ukraine's Foreign Affairs minister on Tuesday said a child in the city had died of dehydration, writing: "War crimes are part of Russia’s deliberate strategy."

It comes as the latest UN estimate put the civilian death toll in Ukraine at 474, but the human rights office warned the true figure would be much higher. Previously Ukrainian authorities have said the figure is 2,000.

In the capital Kyiv, a steady rain of shells and rockets has continued to fall in suburban areas, with the mayor reporting heavy artillery fire.

"We can’t even gather up the bodies because the shelling from heavy weapons doesn’t stop day or night," Mayor Anatol Fedoruk said.

'It was hell:' Families split apart as refugees flee besieged Ukrainian city of Irpin

Our Global Security Editor Rohit Kachroo along with the ITV News teams witnessed desperate scenes, as people tried to escape fighting near the capital.

Ukrainians fleeing Irpin, a besieged city near Kyiv, described the situation as "hell".

Michelle Bachelet, the UN high commissioner for human rights, is pressing for all civilians trapped by fighting in Ukraine to be allowed to leave safely. She said she is "deeply concerned about civilians trapped in active hostilities in numerous areas."

Ms Bachelet also told the UN Human Rights Council that her office has received reports of pro-Ukrainian activists being arbitrarily detained in areas of eastern Ukraine that have recently come "under the control of armed groups".

She said there have been reports of beatings of people considered pro-Russian in government-controlled areas.

For analysis - listen to our podcast: What You Need To Know

At The Hague in Netherlands, Ukraine pleaded with the International Court of Justice to order a halt to Russia’s invasion, saying Moscow is committing widespread war crimes.

Russia "is resorting to tactics reminiscent of medieval siege warfare, encircling cities, cutting off escape routes and pounding the civilian population with heavy ordnance," said Jonathan Gimblett, a member of Ukraine’s legal team.

Russia snubbed the court proceedings, leaving its seats in the Great Hall of Justice empty.

The UN humanitarian chief, Undersecretary-General Martin Griffiths, addressed the Security Council and urged safe passage for people to go "in the direction they choose."