Ukrainian fighters hold on as Putin claims victory in Mariupol

Ukrainian fighters were clinging to their last redoubt in Mariupol on Friday after Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the biggest battle of the war, declaring the port city “liberated” following weeks of relentless bombardment. The United States on Thursday, however, disputed Putin’s claim and said it believed Ukrainian forces still held ground in the city.

Meanwhile, satellite images released Thursday showed what appeared to be mass graves near Mariupol, and local officials accused Russia of burying up to 9,000 Ukrainian civilians there in an effort to conceal the slaughter taking place in the siege of the port city.

In other news, the Biden Administration said that it is the United States, and not Russia, which is and will be India’s “reliable” partner post the war in Ukraine. Britain, meanwhile, is set to offer India know-how to build its own fighter jets and a licence for faster deliveries of defence equipment when the prime ministers of the two countries meet on Friday, as the West tries to wean India away from Russia.