Putin declares victory in Mariupol as 2,439 Ukrainians surrender | What it means for Russia

The 3-month long battle to capture Ukraine's port-city of Mariupol has now come to an end. Russia has taken full control of the city by declaring victory at the embattled Azovstal steel plant. Major General Igor Konashenkov, a spokesman for the Russian Ministry of Defence announced that the last group of 531 Ukrainian troops have surrendered. The statement comes after Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, the Ukrainian commander of the Azov Regiment, had earlier given the order to cease defending Mariupol city. He had also released a short video message from inside the Azovstal steel plant, asserting that the top military leadership of the war-torn nation had issued an order to preserve the garrison soldiers life and health and stop defending the city. Watch this video for more details. #Mariupol #AzovstalSteelPlant #Russia #UkrainianTroops #Surrender #VladimirPutin #BattleForMariupol