Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues as negotiations yield limited progress.
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The man believed to have orchestrated the devastating attack on Mariupol has been identified as Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev.
Officially known as the Russian National Centre for Defence Management director, the high-ranking military official has been dubbed the "Butcher of Mariupol".
The spokesman for the Odessa military administration, Sergey Bratchuk, accused him of ordering several devastating strikes in Mariupol, which led to hundreds of civilian deaths.
A Ukrainian serviceman guards his position in Mariupol. Photo / AP
"He ordered the bombing of a maternity hospital, children's hospital, drama theatre, and civilian homes," Bratchuk wrote.
"It is he who is destroying Mariupol, as he used to destroy Syrian cities."
Located in southeastern Ukraine, the port city has been subjected to severe and constant artillery attacks and bombings since the Russian military invaded Ukraine on February 24.
The conditions are so severe, they've been described by the Human Rights Watch as a "freezing hellscape riddled with dead bodies and destroyed buildings".
Speaking about the siege, Col Mizintsev subverted the narrative and accused Ukrainian "neo-Nazis" and "bandits" of inciting "mass terror".
In a briefing distributed by Russia's defence ministry, Reuters reports he instructed Mariupol residents to "lay down your arms".
"A terrible humanitarian catastrophe has developed," Col Mizintsev said.
"All who lay down their arms are guaranteed safe passage out of Mariupol."
This is despite opposing reports from the Ukrainian government, which state efforts to create humanitarian corridors out of Mariupol had been sabotaged by attacks from Russian military.
Mikhail Mizintsev: 'Butcher of Mariupol'
Ukraine's former Ambassador to Austria, Olexander Scherba described Col Mizintsev as the "Butcher of Mariupol," sharing an intercepted audio clip between himself and a junior officer.
The children of medical workers warm themselves in a blanket as they wait for their relatives in a hospital in Mariupol. Photo / AP
A translation of the audio clip, shows Col Mizintsev addressing the officer for condemning the soldier for not wearing his uniform, calling him "scum of the highest order".
"Why is his face not mutilated yet? Why hasn't anyone cut off his ears? Why isn't this moron limping yet?" Col Mizintsev is recorded saying.
"At night, when walks out, unknown assailants jump him. Just jump him over and over, beating him in the face with a bottle and then pouring another litre into it."
The Head of Ukraine's Centre for Civil Liberties, Oleksandra Matviichuk also called on Col Mizintsev to face war crime charges at The Hague.
"Remember him. This is Mikhail Mizintsev. He is leading the siege of Mariupol," she tweeted on Wednesday.
"It was he who ordered the bombing of a children's hospital, the drama theatre, etc. He has huge experience of destroying cities in Syria."
Serhiy Kralya, 41, looks at the camera after surgery at a hospital in Mariupol. Photo / AP
People carry wooden boards to cover the windows of a building damaged by a bombing the previous day in Kyiv, Ukraine, March 21. Photo / AP
Addressing the Ukrainian citizens on Wednesday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said nearly 100,000 residents were trapped inside the ruins of Mariupol and accused Russian forces of seizing 15 humanitarian workers on their way to provide essential aid for the decimated city.
"Sadly, almost all of our efforts are sabotaged by Russian occupants, by [their] shelling or deliberate terror," he said.
"Today, one of the humanitarian convoys was seized by occupants on an arranged route near Mangush."
From Aleppo to Mariupol: Two cities razed
Prior to the invasion of Ukraine, Col Mizintsev was also involved in orchestrating Russia's involvement during the Syrian Civil War between 2015 to 2016.
Working as the Director of the Russian National Centre for Defence – a role he's had since 2014 – it's highly likely that Col Mizintsev was a key part in orchestrating Russia's military strategy.
During this time, Russian forces aided the Syrian government through a series of airstrike attacks, which the Syrian Network for Human Rights estimates killed at least 1640 civilians in the capital city of Aleppo.
Speaking to Human Rights Watch, a local journalist said the airstrikes led to some of the bloodiest days of the Syrian Civil War.
This satellite image provided by Maxar Technologies shows burning and destroyed apartment buildings in Mariupol on March 22. Photo / AP
"Those were bloody days. It was a bloody month," they said.
"Each day, Russian and Syrian airstrikes killed tens of people. It was the most terrible month since the beginning of the war."
Inside Mariupol's last remaining hospital
With daily reports of Mariupol's art galleries, theatres and infrastructure destroyed in Russian attacks, stories of resilience and resourcefulness survive.
Since Russian forces began their siege of Mariupol on February 24, the city has been blasted with heavy shelling, missile strikes and a naval offensive from the Sea of Azoz.
In a Telegram post, the Mariupol City Council said five out of six hospitals have been destroyed, with the city treating more than 100 patients each day.
Facing food and energy shortage, the hospital shared reports of staff and residents operating in the hospital basement.
A woman walks outside a maternity hospital that was damaged by shelling in Mariupol. Photo / AP
In an effort to conserve the diesel generators for "complex operations and haemodialysis," staff work under candlelight, however, doctors have said they're no longer able to perform certain procedures.
"At present, it is no longer possible to provide the necessary medical procedure for blood purification in renal failure," the post reads.
"Everyone needs help, somewhere to bandage the wound left by a shell fragment, someone to perform urgent surgery or stop heavy bleeding.
"All departments of the hospital switched to emergency care. Every doctor, every nurse works to the limit."
