Russia claims full control of urban area of Mariupol

MOSCOW: The entire urban area of Mariupol city in eastern Ukraine has been fully cleared of the Ukrainian Armed Forces and foreign mercenaries, the Russian military said.

The remnants of the resistant forces have been blocked inside the Azovstal iron and steel works plants, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on Saturday. He said 1,464 Ukrainian servicemen have surrendered during the fighting in the city.

As a key port city on the Azov Sea, Mariupol is witnessing one of the worst violence in the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Ukrainian Defence Ministry said on Friday that its forces were still fighting against Russians in Mariupol after nearly seven weeks since the city was besieged.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that the elimination of Ukrainian troops in Mariupol would put an end to any negotiations with Russia.