21.04.2022, Moscow.
The city of Mariupol has been liberated, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu reported to Russian President Vladimir Putin on April 21.
“The armed forces of the Russian Federation and the forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic have liberated Mariupol,” Shoigu said.
He noted that the remnants of the Nazi units are hiding on the territory of the Azovstal plant, but they are completely blocked.
“As of today, all of Mariupol is under the control of the Russian army, the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic, and the territory of the Azovstal plant with the remnants of nationalists and foreign mercenaries located [there] is securely blocked,” Shoigu noted.
According to him, the Russian Armed Forces have been opening humanitarian corridors for the exit of civilians who may be on the territory of the plant from 2 to 4 p.m. for the past few days.
Shoigu noted that the grouping of the Ukrainian army with foreign mercenaries at the time of the encirclement of Mariupol was about 8,100 people. “During the liberation of the city more than 4 thousand eliminated, 1,478 surrendered, the remaining grouping of more than 2 thousand blocked in the industrial zone Azovstal,” Shoigu said.
The Russian Defense Minister also named the time frame that it will take the troops to completely disarm the grouping on the territory of the combine.
“As for those who hid at the Azovstal plant: [they] are blocked there thoroughly and all around the perimeter. We need about three or four days to complete this work on Azovstal,” the minister concluded.
Source: Rossa Primavera News Agency
