Russia Says Urban Areas of Mariupol Clear of Ukrainian Forces as Zelenskyy Vows to End Talks

Remains of barricades are pictured in a street of Severodonetsk as Russian troops intensified a campaign to take the strategic port city of Mariupol, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, in eastern Ukraine's Donbass region, on April 13, 2022. Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP via Getty Images

Russia said on April 16 that there were no Ukrainian troops in the urban area of Mariupol, a key battlefield in the east of Ukraine.

“The entire urban territory of Mariupol is completely cleared of militants of the Nazist group ‘Azov,’ foreign mercenaries, and Ukrainian troops,” the Russian Defense Ministry wrote in a social media post.