EXPLAINER: Why the battle for Mariupol’s steel mill matters

By The Associated Press

Russian President Vladimir Putin is claiming control over Ukraine’s seaside city of Mariupol even as its defenders are holding out inside a massive steel mill near the water. His statement reflects the importance of the Sea of Azov port and appeared to be a Kremlin attempt to declare victory without storming the Azovstal plant, which represents the last Ukrainian resistance there. Mariupol is part of eastern Ukraine’s industrial region known as the Donbas and a key objective since the Feb. 24 invasion began. Its capture would allow Russia to establish a land corridor from its border to the Crimean Peninsula, which was annexed from Ukraine in 2014. It also would deprive Ukraine of a major port and industrial assets.