Mariupol's mayor Vadym Boychenko said the city was still in Ukrainian hands, after Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to claim victory in the strategic port earlier on Thursday, even as he ordered his troops not to storm the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance in the war’s iconic battleground. "The city (Mariupol) was, is, and remains Ukrainian today. Because today, our brave warriors, our heroes, are defending our city as much as possible," Vadym Boychenko said at the Ukraine Media Center via videocall. Boychenko said Russian forces were taking the bodies of killed Ukrainians to a mass grave in the town of Manhush. He said the Russians were "hiding war crimes there" Putin on Thursday claimed control over the Ukrainian port of Mariupol even as its defenders are still holding out at a giant steel mill. Boychenko estimated that 300 to 1,000 residents of Mariupol are hiding in the Azovstal pant, but the exact number could not be determined. He also said that only 80 people managed to evacuate from Mariupol on Wednesday. Mariupol has been a key objective for Russia since the start of the Feb. 24 invasion. Capturing the city would allow Moscow to establish a land corridor to Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula that Russia annexed in 2014 and deprive Ukraine of a major port and prized industrial assets. Subscribe to our YouTube channel: https://bit.ly/2TwO8Gm Subscribe to our newest channel Quicktake Explained: https://bit.ly/3iERrup Bloomberg Quicktake brings you live global news and original shows spanning business, technology, politics and culture. Make sense of the stories changing your business and your world. To watch complete coverage on Bloomberg Quicktake 24/7, visit http://www.bloomberg.com/qt/live, or watch on Apple TV, Roku, Samsung Smart TV, Fire TV and Android TV on the Bloomberg app. Have a story to tell? Fill out this survey for a chance to have it featured on Bloomberg Quicktake: https://cor.us/surveys/27AF30 Connect with us on… YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/Bloomberg Breaking News on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/c/BloombergQuickTakeNews Twitter: https://twitter.com/quicktake Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/quicktake Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/quicktake