Reuters issued a statement by Russian Defense Minister Sergei Soigo, quoting the Interfax news agency, in which the politician said that Russia had occupied Mariupol.
Sogo says the situation is calm in the city and civilians who fled the fighting are waiting to return. The minister also spoke of information that, according to the information, 1,478 Ukrainian fighters have already laid down their weapons and surrendered, but another 2,000 Ukrainian gunners are still going on.
According to Reuters, Putin himself ordered the Russian forces on the ground not to attack the steel plants at Azovstal, the last stronghold of Ukrainians defending the city, but instead to block them so that no flights could get out from there. He allegedly did this to ensure the safety of his soldiers as possible. Putin is said to have given a guarantee that the lives of the factory workers would be spared if they surrendered.
Meanwhile, referring to the Guardian’s Moscow correspondent, he wrote that although the city’s revenue was announced by the Russians, it was unlikely that there would be a significant change in the siege. According to the newspaper, Sogo, who made the announcement, believes that it will take the Russians another day to defeat the Ukrainians fighting in the steel mills.
