Mariupol steel mill battle rages as Ukraine repels attacks

Smoke rises from the Metallurgical Combine Azovstal in Mariupol (Alexei Alexandrov/AP)

Heavy fighting has been raging at the besieged steel plant in Mariupol as Russian forces attempt to finish off the city’s last-ditch defenders and complete the capture of the strategically vital port.

The bloody battle comes amid growing suspicions that President Vladimir Putin wants to present the Russian people with a major battlefield success — or perhaps announce an escalation of the war — in time for Victory Day on Monday.