In pictures: how the siege of Mariupol unfolded

The capture of the city would connect mainland Russia with Crimea, the peninsula that Ukraine annexed in 2014.

This is how the deadly siege of the city by Russia was carried out:

March 3: Mariupol under siege

Mariupol’s mayor says Russian forces have blockaded the city, cutting off water, power and food.

March 9 — Maternity hospital strike

In some of the most harrowing footage of the war so far, at least three people are killed and 17 others injured in a Russian attack on a maternity hospital.

Separately, the Mariupol city council tells The Post that 43 people were buried in what it described as the city’s first mass grave in the conflict.

March 14 — Evacuations begin

A humanitarian corridor is being opened to allow people to escape from Mariupol, but Ukrainian authorities warn that many are still trapped in the city.

March 16: bomb attack in the theater

Hundreds of people are killed when the theater in which they are sheltering is bombed, in what is believed to be the deadliest attack on civilians since the Russian invasion began. The Russian word for “children” had been painted on the ground outside the building in large letters and a white flag tied to its roof. Local officials estimate the death toll to be around 300. An Associated Press investigation based on accounts from survivors and rescuers later suggests that some 600 people died in the theater attack.

April 18: thousands of people trapped in a steel plant

Most of the Russian assault is now focused on the city’s Azovstal iron and steel factory. The plant and its extensive network of underground tunnels serve as a last refuge and stronghold for thousands of Ukrainian fighters, many of them from the controversial far-right Azov Regiment. The Mariupol city council says up to 1,000 civilians are also trapped.

May 7: evacuation of women and children

Ukrainian authorities say an operation to evacuate women, children and the elderly from the disputed steel plant has been completed.

The first rescued civilians describe the brutality of the siege as they arrive in the northwestern town of Zaporizhzhia.

May 8: The last fighters promise to resist

The leaders of the final fighters remain defiant as they hold a nearly two-hour press conference from the tunnels of the steel plant.

“We will always fight, as long as we are alive, for justice,” says Deputy Commander of the Azov Regiment, Captain Sviatoslav “Kalina” Palamar.

May 9: Russia celebrates Victory Day

Russia marks Victory Day, a celebration of the Soviet Union’s role in defeating Nazi Germany in World War II, in occupied Mariupol.

As Russia marks annual Victory Day, war-scarred Ukrainians reject defeat

May 16: evacuation of wounded Ukrainians

Hundreds of wounded Ukrainian soldiers are evacuated by Russian forces and taken to Russian controlled areas. Ukraine’s deputy defense minister says Moscow and kyiv will negotiate a prisoner swap to secure their release, though some Russian officials question that idea.

May 20: Russia claims control of the steel plant

Russia claims to have taken full control of the Azovstal steel plant. The country’s defense ministry says more than 2,400 Ukrainian fighters have surrendered in recent days, a figure that dramatically exceeds other estimates. Analysts at the Institute for the Study of War have warned that Moscow may be inflating the numbers in an attempt to save face after waging a lengthy siege on the plant.