Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday claimed victory in the strategic city of Mariupol, even as he ordered his troops not to risk more losses by storming the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the war’s iconic battleground.
“The completion of combat work to liberate Mariupol is a success,” Putin said in a joint appearance with his Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu. “Congratulations.”
Ukraine jeered at the idea that a Russian victory in Mariupol was already achieved.