Mariupol, Termed As Shield Protecting Ukraine, Set To Fall Under Russian Control

The port city of Mariupol is likely to fall into the control of the Russian forces after being under siege for close to seven weeks, Associated Press (AP) reports.

According to estimates of the Russian military, around 2500 Ukrainian fighters offered the last bit of resistance in Mariupol.

Moscow’s final deadline assured that the ones amongst them who surrender their arms were ‘guaranteed to keep their lives’. “All those who will continue resistance will be destroyed,” Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov, spokesman of the Russian defence ministry, was quoted in a report by AP.

Intercepted communications revealed that there were close to 400 foreign mercenaries along with the Ukrainian troops at the Azovstal steel mill.

The Russian forces would be freed upon capturing Mariupol and it would subsequently allow them to redirect their troops towards eastern Ukraine.

Hanna Malyar, Deputy Defence Minister of Ukraine, has termed Mariupol as a shield that is defending the country. Russia has been conducting new missile strikes in Kyiv in order to weaken the Ukrainian military before stepping up the assault in the eastern part of the country.

Moscow has recently claimed of destroying an ammunition plant near Kyiv and also the Ukrainian air defence radars near Sievierodonetsk in the east.