Russia closes in on Mariupol as part of eastern Ukraine offensive

President Volodymyr Zelenskyy made another plea to his allies for more weapons to boost the defence of the city.

Russian troops aimed to take control of the city of Mariupol on Tuesday, part of an anticipated massive onslaught across eastern Ukraine, as defending forces tried desperately to hold them back.

Russia is believed to be trying to connect occupied Crimea with Moscow-backed separatist territories Donetsk and Lugansk in Donbas, and has laid siege to the strategically located city, once home to more than 400,000 people.

"It is likely that in the future the enemy will try to take control of the city of Mariupol, capture Popasna and launch an offensive in the direction of Kurakhove in order to reach the administrative borders of Donetsk region," the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said on Facebook.

The Russian defence ministry said it army had thwarted an attempt to break the siege with "airstrikes and artillery fire" at a factory in a northern district of the city.

But the Ukrainian army insisted that "the defence of Mariupol continues".

"The connection with the units of the defence forces that heroically hold the city is stable and maintained," the Land Forces of Ukraine wrote on Telegram.