Putin claims victory in Mariupol but will not storm steel plant housing last Ukrainian defenders

2,000 Ukrainian troops, by Moscow’s estimate, have stubbornly held out for weeks at the sprawling plant, despite a pummelling from Russian forces and repeated demands for their surrender

The Azovstal Steel plant in Mariupol, with large holes blasted in the roof (Planet Labs/AP)

Russian president Vladimir Putin claimed victory Thursday in the battle for Mariupol, even as he ordered his troops not to take the risk of storming the giant steel plant where the last Ukrainian defenders in the city were holed up in a maze of underground passages.

Instead, Putin directed his forces to seal off the Azovstal plant “so that not even a fly comes through”.