“No question of surrender.” That was Ukraine’s message to Russia after they demanded Ukraine hand over the besieged city of Mariupol. “Ukraine said on Monday it would not obey ultimatums from Russia after Moscow demanded it stop defending besieged Mariupol, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are suffering through Russian bombardments laying waste to their city” reports Reuters.

Russia’s military made the demand that residents of Mariupol were to surrender by 5 a.m. local time on Monday. Russia claimed “those who did so could leave” but for anyone who stayed “would be handed to tribunals run by Moscow-backed separatists” reports Reuters.

Over ten million Ukrainians, nearly a quarter of its 44 million people, have been forcibly removed from their homes. Nearly four million have left the country entirely creating a refugee crisis; Germany predicts the refugee number could reach as high as 10 million in coming weeks.

In just weeks after the invasion began, roughly 3.4 million individuals left their homes in Ukraine since February 24. Over 2 million have gone to Poland, according to the most recent figures from the UN refugee agency.

Among the refugees include more than 1.5 million children, the agency suggested. Reuters reports that Europe believes Russia is using refugees as a tool and is prepared to take more action on top of existing sanctions to isolate Russia from global finances and trade.

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government has maintained that it would never bow to ultimatums and said cities such as the capital Kyiv, Mariupol and Kharkiv would always defy occupation.