Zelenskiy signals readiness for new talks if Mariupol troops are not harmed

Hours before the Russian announcement, Zelenskiy said the defenders had been told by commanders that they should leave. In a live video posted on the messaging service Telegram, Denys Prokopenko, commander of the Azov Regiment, which has led the defence of the factory, said only the dead remained.

Ukraine hopes to exchange the surrendering Azovstal soldiers for Russian prisoners. But in Donetsk, pro-Kremlin authorities are threatening to put some of them on trial.

Meanwhile, on Saturday the Russian energy company Gazprom halted gas exports to neighbouring Finland, the Finnish gas system operator said, after Helsinki angered Moscow by applying for Nato membership last week.