VLADIMIR Putin has declared the besieged city of Mariupol to be in Russian control, calling off the attack on gallant Ukrainian forces buried in the Mariupol steel complex.

Rather of fighting a deadly last battle, he ordered his soldiers to continue to protect the facility.

Up to 2,000 Ukrainian forces are still believed to be holed up at the Azovstal factory, which has a vast subterranean network of tunnels.

The Russian President said that the “storming of the industrial zone” was unnecessary because he wanted to protect his troops.

However, after declaring Mariupol “liberated,” the warmonger wants an impenetrable wall of soldiers encircling the steel plant.

“There’s no need to go below through these industrial buildings or ascend into these tombs,” he stated.

“Block off this industrial zone so that not even a fly can get through.”

He issued new directives to Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, as well as a demand for the remaining Ukrainian fighters to surrender.

Putin vowed that they would treat them with dignity and that those who were hurt would receive medical treatment.

Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, issued an urgent call for a humanitarian corridor from Azovstal.

In a Telegram thread, she said: “There are currently roughly 1,000 civilians and 500 troops injured. Today is the last day for them to leave Azovstal.

“I urge world leaders and the international community to concentrate their efforts immediately on Azovstal.

“Right now, the humanitarian endeavour is at a critical juncture.”

According to Shoigu, 1,478 Ukrainian forces have surrendered and Russia has evacuated nearly 142,000 civilians from Mariupol.

He estimated that the operation against Azovstal would take three to four days to complete.

It comes after Ramzan Kadyrov, Putin’s “attack dog” and a Chechen leader, vowed Mariupol would fall in HOURS, as Ukrainian forces prepared for a last stand.

The vicious hardman, notorious for his mediaeval torture tactics, has taken command of the port city’s activities.

The president of Russia’s Chechnya republic said earlier that his country will be triumphant in a matter of hours.

“Before noon, or after lunch,” he mocked, “Azovstal will be entirely under the authority of Russian Federation soldiers.”

Winning the battle for Mariupol would be one of Russia’s most significant victories since the invasion started two months ago.

Because of its position, size, and functionality, seizing the big city is a critical stage in Putin’s agenda.

NO SURRENDER

Mariupol’s martyrs, on the other hand, have sworn to fight to the death in a bloody final stand as they frantically fend off forces.

When the Russians’ ammunition runs out, hero Ukrainian Captain Sviatoslav Palamar has promised to wipe them out with a bayonet charge.

The stark likelihood of a Russian victory is not going unnoticed by Ukrainians, who have delivered a disturbing “last message.”

Despite Russian fighters’ constant shelling, Major Serhiy Volyna, the commander of Ukrainian forces’ final foothold at a steelworks in the besieged city, vows his soldiers would not surrender.

Putin’s army has been attempting to attack the Azovstal iron and steelworks, where the remaining Ukrainian troops and civilians have held out and staged a last stand utilising subterranean tunnels.

Despite being outmanned ten to one, Major Volyna of the 36th separate marine brigade insists that personnel at the factory will “not lay down our guns.”

As Russian forces encircle the town and unleash relentless barrages of fire, he said it may be their “final message” in a terrifying video.

“This is our message to the rest of the world.” This could be our last message,” he said. “We are most likely in our last days, if not hours.”

“The opponent has a ten-to-one advantage over us.” They have a significant edge in the air, artillery, land forces, equipment, and tanks.

“We are just protecting one object: the Azovstal facility, where civilians, in addition to military people, have died as a result of this battle.”

He also issued a rallying appeal to international leaders to assist with the evacuation of injured civilians from the besieged city, which has been reduced to rubble by incessant air and artillery bombardment.

He went on to say, “We ask and beseech to all international leaders to aid us.”

“We request that they utilise ‘extraction’ techniques and transport us to a third-party state’s territory.”

The battalion, according to Major Volyna, has around 500 injured troops, as well as hundreds of civilians, including women and children.

The port city, which had a population of over 450,000 people, has been under continual Russian bombing since early March, with satellite photographs revealing that 95% of its residential zones have been destroyed.