Relentless attacks pound last defenders holed up in Mariupol

New Russian attacks are pounding the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol

KYIV, Ukraine -- Relentless Russian attacks pounded the last Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol as a fighter apparently on the inside issued a video plea for help, saying defenders holed up in a giant steel plant "may have only a few days or hours left.”

Another attempt to evacuate civilians trapped in the pulverized port city failed Wednesday because of continued fighting, and the number of people fleeing the country topped 5 million.

Meanwhile, the Kremlin said it submitted a draft of its demands for ending the war, and the West raced to supply Ukraine with heavier weapons to counter the Russians' new drive to seize the industrial east.

With global tensions running high, Russia reported the first successful test launch of a new type of intercontinental ballistic missile, the Sarmat. President Vladimir Putin boasted that it can overcome any missile defense system and make those who threaten Russia “think twice." The head of the Russian state aerospace agency called the launch out of northern Russia “a present to NATO.”