Russia-Ukraine war updates: Mariupol resistance appears near end; officials say Luhansk school bombed

Here are major developments from across the country:

Odessa: Russian forces used cruise missiles to strike a civilian target in this port city Saturday, Ukraine’s military said. It reported no casualties. The region will be under a curfew from Sunday evening until Tuesday morning because of Russia’s Victory Day celebrations, Ukrainian Col. Maksym Mikhailovich Marchenko said in a video message. Ukrainian officials have raised concerns that Russian President Vladimir Putin will use the occasion to declare a formal war with Ukraine.

Mariupol: All women, children and elderly people have been evacuated from Azovstal Iron and Steel Works, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said Saturday. A regional police official told The Post that three Ukrainian troops were killed during the civilian evacuation. Ukrainian fighters holed up at the plant are clinging to hopes of a diplomatic deal that would allow a peaceful evacuation of their wounded, medics and military after weeks of bombardment. Russia has essentially leveled Mariupol and taken over the city center.

Luhansk: Russian forces bombed a school in Luhansk, possibly trapping dozens of people in the rubble, the region’s governor, Serhiy Haidai, said Saturday. In a separate attack Saturday, two boys, 11 and 14, were found dead in a yard after shelling by Russian forces struck a residential area of Pryvillya, Haidai said. A woman and two girls were seriously injured after shrapnel flew into homes, he said, warning that there may be more victims.

Kharkiv: Ukraine accused Russian forces Saturday of blowing up three bridges northeast of Kharkiv to thwart counterattacks. The Post could not independently verify the assertion. Ukrainian forces have been retaking territory in the area, regaining control of the town of Tsyrkuny, about 12 miles northeast of Kharkiv, a military spokesman said Saturday. A Russian missile destroyed a museum in the area, President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday, the latest blow to Ukraine’s cultural heritage sites.