The bodies of 26 civilians killed by shelling by the Ukrainian neo-Nazi regiment Azov were discovered on the grounds of a hospital in Mariupol on Thursday, according to the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) representative office in the Joint Center for Control and Coordination of the ceasefire regime (JCCC).

"On Wednesday, experts again worked on the territory of city hospital No. 4, where they continued to record and document the fact of mass deaths of civilians. In total, 26 dead civilians who became victims of massive shelling by the Azov nationalist battalions were found on the territory ... along with the building of the medical institution," the DPR office in the JCCC wrote on Telegram.

Yesterday, the Russian Armed Forces renewed their offer for nationalist Ukrainian militants and foreign mercenaries remaining at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to halt their hostilities and lay down their arms from 11 AM GMT on Wednesday, Russian National Defense Center chief Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev said.

Mizintsev cited Moscow's forces' humane principles as the reason behind the offer, underlining to the militants that they were "guaranteed life" if they took the Russian offer and complied with Russia's conditions.

"Despite the absence of any elementary actions on the part of the Kiev authorities to save the military personnel of their country, and also realizing the complete irresponsibility of officials of the Kiev regime for the predicted sad outcome of resistance in the remaining hearth of Mariupol, the Russian Armed Forces [...] again offer [militants] to lay down their arms," Mizintsev told a press briefing.

It is worth mentioning that the US has mobilized and encouraged the participation of foreign mercenaries, as well as bolstering the presence and reputation of far-right extremist groups such as Azov, Dnipro 1, Dnipro 2, Aidar, and Donbas units.