Putin switches Mariupol tactics

Blockade of steel plant ordered in place of military force to spare lives

Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered a blockade of the Azovstal steel plant in the port city of Mariupol instead of storming it, local media reported.

The order was given after Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu told Putin that the Russian military had controlled Mariupol apart from the plant where Ukrainian soldiers were still holed up, said the report.

Putin said plans to storm the plant were "inappropriate" during a meeting with Shoigu, preferring a blockade instead, according to the Kremlin.