Russian warships pound Mariupol

UKRAINE: Firing rockets and bombs from the land, air and probably for the first time from warships in the Sea of Azov, Russian forces broadened their bombardment of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Sunday and have forcibly deported thousands of residents, according to city officials and witnesses.

Among the freshly devastated was an art school, where about 400 residents were hiding, according to city officials who claimed it had been bombed by Russian forces targeting civilians. The number of casualties was not known.

Into the fourth week of the Russian assault on the country, the coastal city a strategic port that would give Russia control over much of Ukraine’s southern coast has increasingly become a grim symbol of Russian frustration that its superior manpower and weaponry have not forced the quick capitulation of the country.

The city has been without food, water, electricity or gas since the early days after the Feb. 24 invasion. But its situation deteriorated even more over the weekend, with reports of raging street battles and Russian forces successfully conquering three neighbourhoods. – THE MALAY MAIL