Kyiv: In an appeal to South Korean lawmakers to provide weapons, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that tens of thousands of Ukrainians have most certainly been killed in Russia's attack on Mariupol. Zelenskyy addressed the South Korean lawmakers via video conference. 

He claimed that Russian soldiers had blocked evacuations from the besieged southern city, where residents had been without water, food, or energy for weeks.

He said the Russians did not stop the war despite Mariupol being destroyed. Tens of thousands of people have lost their lives, he said and added that if true, this would be by far the highest number of deaths reported in one location in Ukraine, where cities, towns, and villages have been relentlessly bombarded and many bodies, including civilians, have been seen in the streets.

"We require air defence systems, aircraft, tanks and other armoured vehicles, artillery, and ammo." And you have something that could be quite useful to us," he added. "You've got it... It is vital to support."

Meanwhile, Denis Pushilin, the leader of the Russia-backed self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic, told Russia's RIA news agency on Monday that more than 5,000 people may have been killed in Mariupol, blaming Ukrainian forces.

Thousands of people are said to be still trapped in the city following many failed evacuation attempts.

Russia forbids Ukrainian military forces from accompanying civilian evacuation. Moscow had no quick reaction, despite earlier blaming Ukraine for impeding evacuations.

On the Telegram message app, Petro Andryushchenko, an adviser to Mariupol's mayor, stated that Russian forces were slowing pre-departure checks.

He estimated that 10,000 people were awaiting screening by the Russian military.