Russian forces targeting Mariupol steel plant

Russian forces targeting Mariupol steel plant: Ukraine's defence ministry

Ukraine's defence ministry says Russian forces are conducting "storming operations" at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, where hundreds of Ukrainian defenders continue to hold out under Russian attacks.

Qazet.az reports that the Russians were trying to blow up a bridge used for evacuations in order to trap the last few defenders inside, he said.

Mariupol lies between the Russian-administered Crimean peninsula, and parts of eastern Ukraine that are held by Russian separatists. Moscow wants to capture it in order to link the two areas and consolidate its gains in the east.