After Russian President Vladimir Putin declared the city of Mariupol 'liberated' and fully under the control of the Russian Federation, U.S. President Joe Biden put out a statement saying that the claim is 'questionable' and said that "there is no evidence that Mariupol has completely fallen".
During a televised meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, he thanked Shoigu for "liberating" the Sea port city of Mariupol and stated that combat activity in the city is a practical end.
"They (the Ukrainian defenders) are effectively sealed up" Shoigu reported to Putin during the meeting. "Block off this industrial area so that not even a fly can escape," Putin told Shoigu.
Biden also announced another $1.3 billion in aid to Ukraine. He said that $800 million in military aid will go "directly to the front lines of defending freedom" in support of Ukrainian forces and civilians fighting Russia and an additional $500 million in economic assistance to help in stabilizing the Ukrainian economy.
"We’re in a critical window now, of time where they’re going to set the stage for the next phase of this war" Biden stated, saying that U.S. allies are "moving as fast as possible" to give Ukraine the equipment and weapons that it needs.
Shoigu told Putin that there are over 2,000 Ukrainian fighters trapped in the plant which has a large underground complex and made the claim that Russia only needs a few days to 'complete' the takeover of the compound.
Putin said it would be "impractical" to storm the complex is there is "no need to climb into those catacombs and crawl underground beneath those industrial facilities".
While Shoigu stated that over 142,000 civilians were evacuated from the Sea of Azov port through humanitarian corridors, the claim was refuted by officials in Ukraine who said that only a small number of refugees have been allowed to leave the city since the war started.
Both Radio Free Europe and The Kyiv Independent have reported a 984-foot-long (300 meters long) mass grave in the village of Mangush, less than 20 kilometers from Mariupol (roughly 12 and a half miles) that they claim looks to have been dug between March 23rd to March 29th.
Satellite imagery shown by Radio Free Europe that we have also analyzed has corroborated the reports. The adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko had earlier alleged that Russia had arranged a mass burial of the dead in the village of Mangush.
During a televised meeting with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, he thanked Shoigu for "liberating" the Sea port city of Mariupol and stated that combat activity in the city is a practical end.
"They (the Ukrainian defenders) are effectively sealed up" Shoigu reported to Putin during the meeting. "Block off this industrial area so that not even a fly can escape," Putin told Shoigu.
Biden also announced another $1.3 billion in aid to Ukraine. He said that $800 million in military aid will go "directly to the front lines of defending freedom" in support of Ukrainian forces and civilians fighting Russia and an additional $500 million in economic assistance to help in stabilizing the Ukrainian economy.
"We’re in a critical window now, of time where they’re going to set the stage for the next phase of this war" Biden stated, saying that U.S. allies are "moving as fast as possible" to give Ukraine the equipment and weapons that it needs.
Shoigu told Putin that there are over 2,000 Ukrainian fighters trapped in the plant which has a large underground complex and made the claim that Russia only needs a few days to 'complete' the takeover of the compound.
Putin said it would be "impractical" to storm the complex is there is "no need to climb into those catacombs and crawl underground beneath those industrial facilities".
While Shoigu stated that over 142,000 civilians were evacuated from the Sea of Azov port through humanitarian corridors, the claim was refuted by officials in Ukraine who said that only a small number of refugees have been allowed to leave the city since the war started.
Both Radio Free Europe and The Kyiv Independent have reported a 984-foot-long (300 meters long) mass grave in the village of Mangush, less than 20 kilometers from Mariupol (roughly 12 and a half miles) that they claim looks to have been dug between March 23rd to March 29th.
Satellite imagery shown by Radio Free Europe that we have also analyzed has corroborated the reports. The adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko had earlier alleged that Russia had arranged a mass burial of the dead in the village of Mangush.