Despite an enclave of around 2,000 Ukrainian fighters holed up in the middle of the city, Russian President Vladimir Putin has declared a victory in Mariupol, a city in eastern Ukraine that has been under siege for weeks, the Associated Press reports.
Two months into the invasion, few of Russia’s anticipated goals have been achieved, and in the last couple weeks, Russian military resources have been shifted to the eastern part of Ukraine, where they have established support from the troops that invaded the Donbas region.
Ukrainians remain defiant in the face of Russian forces. “The city was, is and remains Ukrainian,” Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko declared. “Today our brave warriors, our heroes, are defending our city.”
Satellite imagery of the area showed numerous mass graves either covered over, presumably filled with bodies. In other areas of the city, empty graves are prepared. Mass graves in one neighborhood may hold as many as 9,000 bodies, officials estimate.