Battle for control of Mariupol hinders rescue of civilians trapped in theatre

Ukrainian forces hold out against larger Russian force but lose access to Sea of Azov

• Russia-Ukraine war: latest developments

Intense street fighting hampered attempts to free hundreds of survivors trapped inside a bombed theatre on Saturdayas Ukrainian forces held out against a larger Russian force inside the strategically important southern port city of Mariupol.

In a day of scant battlefield gains for Vladimir Putin, Ukraine did admit that following fierce fighting in Mariupol it had lost access to the Sea of Azov for the first time, a potentially significant prize for Russia.