Good morning. Welcome to Axios today. It's Thursday, April 14th. I'm Nailibutu.

Today, Mexican truckers stage a border protest against Texas Governor Abbott,

plus Western state's brace for a dangerous dry season.

But first, Mariobull on the brink is today's one big thing.

The Ukrainian important city of Mariobull is holding on by a thread,

as Russia concentrates its attacks on the east of Ukraine.

Earlier this week, the mayor of the city said its streets were carpeted with bodies.

Now, the world is watching to see if Russia will capture its first major city

since the start of the war against Ukraine in February.

Axios' Zach Basu has the latest. Hi, Zach.

Hey, good morning.

Zach, what's the status of Mariobull right now?

So, the latest assessments are that Mariobull could fall within hours, if not days.

Russia claimed this week that more than 1,000 Ukrainian Marines have surrendered

because they're out of ammunition, and also that they've taken control of the commercial seaport.

The Ukrainian government has denied this, and of course, the Ukrainian's claim they're still fighting,

but they've also admitted that the situation is very dire.

It's clear that the remaining troops are running out of ammunition and food,

and the city has been surrounded for weeks.

So, ultimately, I think Mariobull falling is a matter of not if, but when.

Can you remind us, though, why this city is so strategically important for Russia?

Sure, yeah. So, I mean, President Zelensky said this week that the battle for Mariobull

...