Mariupolâ€™s capture at this point is of mostly symbolic importance, since the city was already effectively under Moscowâ€™s control

In biggest victory yet, Russia claims to capture Mariupol

Moscow was aiming to complete its conquest of Mariupol in time for Victory Day celebrations on Monday

Last women and children evacuated from Ukrainian steel mill

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky hailed the successful operation and said more evacuations were expected Monday

In Kyiv, Spain Prime Minister Pedro SÃ¡nchez and Denmarkâ€™s Mette Frederiksen became the latest European leaders to show support with a visit

Russia was continuing to mount offensives at various locations in the east as its forces probe for weak points in the Ukrainian lines

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Ukraine needs more heavy weapons from the West immediately to have any chance of saving Mariupol

Mariupol has been the site of some of the heaviest attacks and civilian suffering in the 6-week-old war

Russian forces and Russian-backed separatist units had taken about half of the port city, normally home to around 400,000 people

Russian forces are increasingly concentrating their air power and artillery on Ukraineâ€™s cities and the civilians, killing uncounted numbers

Earlier attempts to evacuate civilian residents from Mariupol and other Ukrainian cities have failed or only partly succeeded

The fall of Mariupol, the scene of some of the war\'s worst suffering, would mark a major battlefield advance for the Russians