Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu today informed President Vladimir Putin that the Ukrainian city of Mariupol has been liberated and the Russian army has taken control of it.
“Mariupol was liberated by the armed forces of the Russian Federation and the People’s Militia of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic. The remnants of the nationalist formation took refuge in the industrial zone of the Azovstal plant,” Shoigú said at a meeting with the Russian president.
In this regard, the head of the military department assured that it will take Russian troops three or four days to complete work at the Azovstal metallurgical plant, where Ukrainian soldiers and mercenaries are blocked.
With this in mind, Putin ordered the attack on Azovstal to be halted, calling it impractical, and urging negotiations to lay down arms for a peaceful withdrawal of those entrenched to preserve the lives and integrity of Russian soldiers and officers.
Taking stock of the actions taken to liberate the area, the Defense Minister stated that on March 11, the day Mariupol was surrounded for liberation, the total number of Ukrainian armed forces and foreign mercenaries exceeded 8,000.
He explained that of that total, more than 4,000 were neutralized and 1,478 abandoned, while more than 2,000 remained entrenched at the metallurgical facility.
He also confirmed that the Nationalists placed armored vehicles and artillery on the ground floors of residential buildings and snipers on the upper floors to resist.
They also crowded their residents into the mezzanines and basements, turning civilians into “human shields,” the military chief noted.
“During the liberation of Mariupol, the Russian army and units of the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic took all measures to save the lives of civilians,” Shoigu said, adding that since March 21, humanitarian corridors for evacuated settlers and foreigners have opened daily citizens would be opened .
He reported that soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and nationalist battalions had been offered to lay down their arms. “They were, of course, assured of life, safety and medical care,” he said.
The minister stressed that despite the resistance of Ukrainian troops, the Russian army managed to evacuate 142,711 civilians from Mariupol and freed all the hostages in the commercial port, including the crews of seagoing vessels. (Agency summary)