President Vladimir Putin said Russia had ‘liberated’ Ukraine’s Mariupol, apart from the massive Azovstal steel plant, which he ordered blockaded. Kyiv has called for urgent talks to save the lives of the fighters and civilians in the city; limited civilian evacuations went ahead on Wednes.
Restrictions by the US and its allies have led to a fall in more than half of Russia’s imports of high-tech goods and parts, hurting its manufacturing and military sectors, a Biden administration official said.
Russia’s second-largest oil producer Lukoil PJSC said Chief Executive Officer Vagit Alekperov will resign, in the latest sign of growing pressure on the nation’s energy industry since the invasion of Ukraine.