Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 21, 2022
From the Liveblog of
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Putin tells Russian forces not to storm final Ukrainian holdout in Mariupol
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The Azovstal metallurgical plant is seen on the outskirts of the eastern Ukrainian city of Mariupol, on February 23, 2022. (AP Photo/Sergei Grits)
Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered his forces not to storm the last remaining Ukrainian stronghold in the besieged city of Mariupol but to block it “so that not even a fly comes through.”
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu told Putin on Thursday that the sprawling Azovstal steel plant where Ukrainian forces were holed up was “securely blocked” while the rest of the city was “liberated,” which Putin hailed as a “success.”
Leaving the plant in Ukrainian hands, however, robs the Russians of the ability to declare complete victory in Mariupol. The city’s capture has both strategic and symbolic importance.
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