Putin had told the defenders to lay down their weapons and surrender or die. But in a televised meeting at the Kremlin on Thursday, Putin told Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu: "You successfully completed the combat effort to liberate Mariupol. Smoke rises above a plant of Azovstal Iron and Steel Works company during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine April 20, 2022. Shoigu told Putin that Russia had killed more than 4,000 Ukrainian troops in its campaign to take Mariupol and that 1,478 had given themselves up. Ukraine said Russian forces had failed so far to completely capture Rubizhne, a Donbas town that has been a focus of their advance.

Source: The Star April 21, 2022 20:21 UTC