“Today, the whole of Mariupol is under the control of the Russian army, the People’s Militia of the Donetsk People’s Republic. The territory of the Azovstal plant with the remnants of nationalists and foreign mercenaries who are there is safely blocked, “said Shoigu.
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More than two thousand militants were blocked in the Azovstal steelworks. According to Shoigu, at the time of the siege of Mariupol, the number of foreign troops fighting on the Ukrainian side was about 8,100.
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“During the liberation of the city, more than 4,000 were destroyed, of which 1,478 surrendered, the remaining group of more than 2,000 people was blocked in the Azovstal industrial zone,” said the Minister of Defense.
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The head of the Kremlin has ordered the cancellation of the attack on the steelworks and instead continue its blockade, Reuters reported. According to her, Putin also said that Russia guarantees saving the lives of Ukrainian soldiers who will leave the Azovstal steelworks, and promised that they would be treated with respect.
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Shoigu said Russian troops needed three or four days to “complete work on Azovstal.”
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“As for those who did not flee the Azovstal factory, they are blocked there thoroughly and around the perimeter. We need about three to four days to complete this work, “said Shoigu.
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According to the Minister of Defense, despite the resistance of the militants in Mariupol, more than 142,000 inhabitants of the city were evacuated and all the hostages in the port were released. “All the hostages who were in the seaport were released, including the crews of the seagoing vessels. Those who captured them destroyed all communication systems so that they could not connect with anyone. The port was mined, “Shoigu said.
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