Russia Says It Controls Mariupol, but Ukrainian Troops Hold Out in Steel Plant
KYIV, Ukraine—Russia said Thursday it had taken control of Mariupol, presenting it as one of its first victories in the conflict after weeks of setbacks, though Ukrainian forces were still blockaded inside a vast steel plant in the city and said they were continuing to launch attacks on Russian positions.
Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said in a meeting at the Kremlin with President Vladimir Putin that Russian troops were in control of the strategic port city and that the Azovstal plant in the south where Ukrainian forces were holed up had been blocked off.
A spokesman for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that almost all of Mariupol was under Russian control, but a fight for the plant continued.
The statement from Mr. Shoigu came a day after Russia dismissed a United Nations-backed four-day cease-fire that would have come into effect on Thursday.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/russia-says-it-controls-mariupol-but-ukrainian-troops-hold-out-in-steel-plant/ar-AAWrIeq
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