Battle for control of Mariupol hinders rescue of civilians trapped in theatre

Intense street fighting hampered attempts to free hundreds of survivors trapped inside a bombed theatre on Saturdayas Ukrainian forces held out against a larger Russian force inside the strategically important southern port city of Mariupol.

In a day of scant battlefield gains for Vladimir Putin, Ukraine did admit that following fierce fighting in Mariupol it had lost access to the Sea of Azov for the first time, a potentially significant prize for Russia.

Hundreds were still unaccounted for with more than 1,000 survivors believed to be trapped in the building.

Capturing the port would grant the Russians the entire northern coast of the Sea of Azov, cutting Ukraine off from a conduit to the Black Sea, while allowing the Kremlin to build a land corridor to Crimea, the peninsula it illegally annexed in 2014.

In the capital Kyiv, Russian plans to surround the capital were still seemingly far from being realised. Latest Ukrainian defence assessments indicated that 35 markets and 635 shops remained open, with the city looking to withstand a possible siege.

But Putin accused Ukraine of stalling by submitting unrealistic proposals, in a call with the German chancellor Olaf Scholz.

Most western analysts believe the Russian forces have already suffered significant losses. Western officials claim to have evidence of dwindling morale among Russian fighters, as well as of severe logistical issues.

Ukrainian forces claim that they have killed a fifth Russian general, Lieutenant General Andrei Mordvichev. If this is true, he would be the most senior Russian commander killed in the conflict so far.