Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed the war in Ukraine was "going according to plan" on Thursday, with residents of the major city of Mariupol facing a deteriorating humanitarian situation, as the city tries to strengthen its hold in Ukraine's south. remains under siege by Russian forces determined to be.
"The special military operation in Ukraine is proceeding strictly according to the plan, according to schedule," Putin said in his Security Council broadcast on state television, the euphemism the Kremlin uses to describe the invasion of Ukraine. "All tasks are being completed successfully."
His remarks came as citizens in Mariupol were trapped without electricity, heating or water.
France also warned that "the worst is yet to come" for Ukraine after talks between Putin and his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron.
Mariupol officials warned of a "serious" situation for residents amid heavy shelling. It is not clear how many of Mariupol's nearly 400,000 residents were able to evacuate the strategically important port city or how many were killed or wounded.
The Russian attack on Mariupol comes as his forces also fight for control of the Black Sea city of Kherson. The mayor of Kherson indicated overnight that Russian forces had taken control of the city of about 300,000, although the claims are disputed.
Progress in Ukraine's south suggests that the Russian military is attempting to launch a possible land bridge that could link the port city of Odessa in the west to the separatist-held pro-Moscow regions in the east via Kherson and Mariupol .
Mariupol deputy mayor Sergei Orlov told CNN's "New Day" that the southeastern city was now "surrounded" by Russian forces and was in dire need of military and humanitarian aid.
"Our Ukrainian army and the National Guard are very brave, they stand and fight for Mariupol, for Ukraine. But the situation is quite serious," Orlov said on Thursday.
"We're asking for help, for military help, and we're waiting for military help," Orlov said. "Our internal forces are very brave, but we are surrounded by the Russian army, which has more people in its army."
An Elysee source told reporters after a 90-minute phone call between Putin and Macron on Thursday that Putin had said he wanted to continue his military campaign.
"Without making predictions, we should hope that the worst is yet to come. The (French) president said the same thing yesterday. There is nothing in what Putin said today to reassure us," the source said.
The source said Putin told Macron that he was available for talks, but insisted that discussions should take place on the basis of Ukraine's neutralization and disarmament.
The Russian leader also said that if Kyiv wants to talk, it must act now - and if the Ukrainians do not accept these terms, it will achieve the same result through the military route, the source said. Putin denied bombing Kyiv and warned that the situation would worsen, but it was Ukraine's fault, the source said.
France estimates that Russia's military ambition is to capture the whole of Ukraine, the source said.
Mayor: Russia is causing a 'humanitarian catastrophe'
Orlov warned that Mariupol was facing a humanitarian crisis after 26 hours of continuous shelling.
"They're destroying our city with all weapons, from artillery, bombing airplanes, tactical rockets, multiple launch rocket systems," Orlov said.
"We don't have electricity throughout the city, we don't have water supply, we don't have sanitary systems, we don't have heating."
Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boichenko in a post on his Telegram account on Thursday accused the Russian military of causing "humanitarian devastation" in the city.
“We have found no other way to break these scum. They are blocking the supply and repair of electricity, water and heat. They have also damaged railways. They have destroyed bridges and broken trains. So that we can not take out women, children. and Mariupol's elders, ”he said.
"They're blocking the food supply, blocking us like in pre-Leningrad [during World War II], deliberately destroying the city's vital life-support infrastructure for seven days. Then, we have There is no light, water or heat."
He said the city is "working with international institutions to create a 'green corridor' for humanitarian missions" and is seeking to obtain a ceasefire so power supplies can be restored.
Deputy Mayor: 'We can't collect all the dead bodies'
On Thursday morning, the Russian army announced an advance in the Mariupol area.
"Units of the Armed Forces of the Donetsk People's Republic reduced the encirclement of the city of Mariupol, and also took control of the settlements of Vinogradnoye, Saratka and Vodnoye," Major General Igor Konashenkov, spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, said at a video briefing. He repeatedly claimed that the military was not targeting civilian areas in Ukraine.
The day before, Konashenkov outlined an evacuation corridor from Mariupol. "All citizens who wish to leave Mariupol for security purposes can go east along the Mariupol-Shirokino [Shorokine] road," he said.
Russia regularly denies civilian casualties in Ukraine. However, CNN and other media and observers have documented widespread civilian casualties and damage to civilian infrastructure.
Orlov said Russian shelling had targeted several civilian buildings, including homes, kindergartens and schools, but cautioned that the number of civilian casualties in the city was unclear.
"We don't know how many there are, because we can't collect all the bodies and we can't count," Orlov said.
A spokesman for the Ukrainian National Guard told CNN that the situation in Mariupol "remains difficult," insisting that the fighting is not over.
"The soldiers of the Ukrainian National Guard, together with the armed forces, continue to defend the city," the spokesman said. "The Ukrainian army is not going to surrender the city and attack the occupying forces. The army will also continue to destroy enemy sabotage groups on the outskirts of Mariupol."
Mariupol lies to the west of the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine, which has been controlled by Russian-backed separatists since 2014. Putin last month recognized the separate states of Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republic in the Donbass.
"It is quite clear that Putin is pushing for a land corridor to Crimea. I mean it has a clear objective," Richard Schirref, NATO's former Deputy Supreme Allied Commander for Europe, told CNN. Russia illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean peninsula in 2014.
Shirref said he fears the latest push could lead to humanitarian catastrophe as civilian deaths rise and cities fall into ruins.
Kherson: Food, medicine shortage, information about looting
The situation in Kherson, about 260 miles west of Mariupol, also appeared to be deteriorating on Thursday.
One resident told CNN that chaos and panic broke out in Kherson as people tried to get basic necessities. According to the resident, the city is facing a severe shortage of food and medicine - especially insulin - with pharmacies being robbed.
The resident said a considerable amount of looting had been carried out by Russian soldiers, and added that Russian soldiers had been seen arresting the men.
The mayor of Kherson, Ihor Kolkhayev, on Thursday called on citizens to stop looting and theft of food supplies.
Kolikhayev said in a Facebook post that "the city needs food and industrial products" and called on residents to let the city handle the distribution of the products. “We guarantee it will get to where it is most expected now – hospitals, orphanages, pensioners, the needy, families with multiple children, social categories, etc.,” he said.
On Wednesday, the mayor said on his Facebook page that the Ukrainian army was no longer in the city and that its residents should now obey the instructions of "armed people coming into the city's administration" – indicating that the city has now fallen to Russian. under control.
Kherson resident Yaroslav Kontsevy told CNN that Russian occupiers have set up checkpoints and sniper points at key points in the city.
Kontsevi said that Russian citizens were stopping Ukrainian men and asking them whether they were going to fight the Russian or Ukrainian side in terms of mobilization.
Another local resident also said that a considerable amount of looting had been done by Russian soldiers, adding that Russian soldiers had been seen arresting the men.
A British military intelligence update released early Thursday said "some Russian forces have entered the city of Kherson," but cautioned that the military situation on the ground "remains unclear."
The head of the Kherson Regional State Administration, Henady Lahuta, said in a statement that the Russian army had "completely occupied" the regional state administration building.
Lahuta said, "We have not given up on our responsibilities. The regional operational headquarters, which I lead, continues its work and addresses issues to help the residents of the region. We are looking forward to humanitarian aid." "
A senior US defense official said the United States cannot independently verify that the city of Kherson has come under Russian control.
Mariupol is still under Ukrainian control, according to a US defense official, but Russian forces are moving forward with the clear intention of isolating the city from the north and from the coast.
The official said there was no "plausible" move westward on the city of Odessa by Russia, the Navy or others.