Mariupol Falls while Russian Soldier Pleads Guilty to War Crime

NPR reports that the Ukrainian city of Mariupol is now in Russian hands, after more than two months of bitter fighting and constant Russian shelling that destroyed massive swaths of the city and killed thousands of civilians, according to local officials. By controlling the strategic city of Mariupol, Russia has solidified its land bridge to Crimea and now controls the entire north shore of the Sea of Azov.
Mariupol has fallen to Russia. Here's what that means for Ukraine (NPR)
Russia seized on the mass surrender of Ukrainian troops at a Mariupol steel plant as a propaganda gift on Wednesday, moving to falsely label them as terrorists and create a parallel narrative to Ukraine’s portrayal of Russian soldiers as heinous war criminals, according to the The New York Times.
The mass surrender, which ended the longest battle of the three-month-old war, was depicted by the Russians as a glorious turning point in a conflict that Western military analysts and rights groups have described as disastrous for the Kremlin and its forces, which have bombed Ukraine indiscriminately and been accused of other atrocities, wrote The Times.
Russia Uses Surrender in Mariupol to Portray Ukrainians as Terrorists (New York Times)
In a related story, a 21-year-old Russian soldier has pleaded guilty to killing an unarmed civilian, in the first war crimes trial in Ukraine since the war started, reports BBC News. Vadim Shishimarin admitted shooting a 62-year-old man a few days after the invasion began. He faces life in jail.
Russian soldier pleads guilty in first war crimes trial of Ukraine conflict (BBC News)
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