DONETSK REGION, UKRAINE - MARCH 24, 2022: Military hardware is seen in the city of Mariupol. The Russian Armed Forces are carrying out a special military operation in Ukraine. Valentin Sprinchak/TASS/Sipa USA
Ukraine: Situation in Ukrainian city of Mariupol
LYMAN, Ukraine (AP) — Russian troops abandoned a key Ukrainian city so rapidly that they left the bodies of their comrades in the streets.
The scene offered more evidence Tuesday of Moscow’s latest military defeat as it struggles to hang on to four regions of Ukraine that it illegally annexed last week. Russia’s upper house of parliament rubber-stamped the annexations Tuesday after “referendums” that Ukraine and its Western allies dismissed as fraudulent.
Responding to the move, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy formally ruled out talks with Russia. Meanwhile, the U.S. announced it would provide an additional $625 million in military aid to Ukraine, including more of the advanced rocket systems credited with helping Ukraine’s military momentum.
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