Russian troops, allies fight in Mariupol city centre

Separatists from Lugansk have 'liberated more than 90% of the republic's territory'

People walk near a building, which was destroyed during Ukraine-Russia conflict in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol. Credit: Reuters photo

Russian troops and their separatist allies were fighting Friday in the centre of Mariupol, a strategic port city in the southeast of Ukraine, the Russian defence ministry said.

"In Mariupol, units of the Donetsk People's Republic, with the support of the Russian armed forces, are squeezing the encirclement and fighting against nationalists in the city centre," the ministry said in Moscow.

Backed by Russian troops, separatists from Lugansk have "liberated more than 90 per cent of the republic's territory," the ministry added, referring to the self-proclaimed Lugansk People's Republic, whose independence Moscow recognised on February 21.

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