Russia strikes Kyiv suburb, presses offensive in Mariupol ruins

International

16-04-2022, 22:12

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INA - SOURCES

Russian air raids and missile strikes hit Ukraine's capital Kyiv and other major cities on Saturday as Moscow launched more long-range attacks following the sinking of its Black Sea fleet's flagship.

In the besieged port of Mariupol, scene of the war's heaviest fighting and worst humanitarian catastrophe, Russian troops pressed their advances, hoping to make up for their failure to capture Kyiv by seizing their first big prize of the war.

The Russian defence ministry said its troops had cleared the entire urban area of Mariupol of Ukrainian forces and had blockaded a few fighters in the Azovstal steelworks, RIA news agency said. It cited ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov as saying that as of Saturday, Ukrainian forces in the city had lost more than 4,000 people.