Vadym Boichenko said: “Our heroic defenders are fighting, enduring with incredible courage and bravery, defending the city of Mariupol, defending our future and our homeland Ukraine.” “It has to be very clear, their situation is very difficult because there are many more. It is very difficult for them to withstand. When they say they are made of steel, we also need to know that steel also has its breaking points. “But they are enduring and the city of Mariupol remains a city of Ukraine,” the mayor added. His remarks came as Russian state media published images that allegedly showed a unit of Ukrainian soldiers surrendering. Use the Chrome browser for a more accessible video player 0:23 Ukrainian soldiers “surrender” to Mariupol Sky News located the video in the city, but could not verify when it was shot or if it represents a true tradition. A Russian military spokesman said: “In Mariupol, in the area of ​​the Ilyich steel plant, as a result of successful offensive by Russian troops and militia units of the Donetsk People’s Republic, 1,026 Ukrainian soldiers of the 36th Marine Brigade surrendered.” Mariupol, in southeastern Ukraine, has been under almost constant bombardment since the beginning of the Russian invasion. It is a key port and has emerged as a persistent but vital strategic prize for Russia. Image: Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko says 90% of the city’s infrastructure has been leveled by the Russian Federation The mayor issued a shocking and unlimited report on the number of deaths. “90% of the infrastructure has been leveled by the Russian Federation,” the mayor said. “Hospitals were bombed, bomb shelters were bombed, innocent civilians were killed in Mariupol. 21,000+, is the number of deaths in Mariupol. These are the dead from the bombing.” Last war in Ukraine: “Mariupol will fall in a few hours” Image: Russian soldiers patrol the Mariupol theater that was bombed in a suspicious Russian air raid on March 16 With the city largely closed, even a large number of victims are difficult to verify, but from satellite images, the city resembles the urban deserts left behind by the Russians in Aleppo, Syria, and Grozny, Chechnya before that. There is no clarity yet about the claims that chemical weapons are used here. “Yesterday (Monday), the Russian troops tried to hit our city with a chemical attack, they tried to drop the chemical agent on our defenders, the agent influenced our defenders, a few people on the outskirts of Mariupol were also affected and felt the sweet taste in their mouths “, the mayor claimed. Picture: An elderly woman sits outside a severely damaged building in Mariupol Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy did not repeat the claim, but reiterated the claim that the Russians use phosphorus. The substance is not illegal under international law if it is used in a battlefield scenario away from civilians. In a separate complaint, Mayor Boichenko said the Russians were using mobile crematoria to dispose of corpses. “Our information has confirmed that the group’s crematoria have arrived in the city and are preparing to eliminate evidence of war crimes committed by the Russian Federation.” he said. Follow the Daily Podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker This allegation followed the publication of a photo by the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, which claimed to show a mobile crematorium inside a truck. Sky News could not verify the image. Image: The Ministry of Defense of Ukraine shared this image claiming that it shows a mobile crematorium inside a truck The Ukrainian Defense Ministry said: “13 mobile crematoria were used to clear the streets of the bodies of dead civilians … The Russian Armed Forces also use mobile crematoria to destroy the bodies of Russian soldiers in order to hide the true number of their soldiers. killed in the Russian attack… » Read more: What can we expect from the new Russian commander in charge of the invasion With the Russians now completely withdrawn from the areas around Kyiv, Moscow’s new chief general, a veteran from Syria and Chechnya, is consolidating command and troop numbers here in the Far East. The last anxieties in the battle for Mariupol seem imminent.