Putin to mark Victory Day as Russia presses Ukraine assault

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

Russian forces have pushed forward in their assault on Ukraine, seeking to capture the crucial southern port city of Mariupol as Moscow prepared to celebrate its national Victory Day holiday.

Determined to show a success in a war now in its 11th week, Russian troops have targeted a sprawling seaside steel mill where an estimated 2,000 Ukrainian fighters were making what appeared to be their last stand to save Mariupol from falling.