Russian has claimed it has taken the besieged city of Mariupol and surrounded 2,000 people in a factory.
Russian defence minister Sergei Shoigu has told Vladimir Putin that the southern port city has been taken, news agency Interfax reported this morning.
If his claims are true, then Russia will have gained a major strategic advantage, as holding Mariupol would allow Putin's forces sea access and a potential route to Kyiv from the south.
