Residents of Mariupol on Sunday, March 20, spoke about the shooting of buses with children by fighters of the radical nationalist battalion “Azov”.
“Azov” does not release, shot two buses. There were children there. People are screaming, what are you doing, these are children. They said that there are no children and old people in the war, ” said one of the refugees.
According to another resident of the city, the fighters hide in schools and kindergartens, shoot from there and run away. In addition, they take cars and remove batteries from them.
“They hide behind the locals and still say on the radio that they are winning – Mariupol is holding on,” said another resident.
According to him, the mayor of the city, Vadim Boychenko, fled immediately, like the rest of the leadership.
“Empty stores, everything is looted, there is nothing. We haven’t seen bread for three weeks. And your guys, well done, gave us rations,” another refugee explained.
On March 18, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, said that the Russian Armed Forces liquidated 93 Ukrainian militants who deserted from Mariupol under the guise of civilians.
On the same day, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation proposed to open an unhindered exit from Mariupol to the nationalists in order to “save the city and people.” According to the department, the Ukrainian authorities refused to support the initiative.
According to one of the refugees, when they try to leave the city, people are fired upon by the national battalions and the Armed Forces of Ukraine (APU). On March 15, refugees from Mariupol told an Izvestia correspondent that Ukrainian nationalists had blocked the escape routes from the city, and Ukrainian militants were shooting refugees when they tried to leave the city. According to them, 80-90% of local residents are ready to leave Mariupol.
The situation in Donbass escalated on February 17. In the Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics (DPR and LPR), heavy shelling by Ukrainian security forces, including from heavy weapons, was reported. The republics announced a general mobilization, the evacuation of civilians to the territory of Russia, and also asked to recognize their independence. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed decrees recognizing their sovereignty.
On February 24, the Russian leader announced a special operation to protect the civilian population of Donbass. Then the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation Dmitry Peskov clarified that the special operation had two goals – the demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine. He pointed out that both of these aspects pose a threat to the Russian state and people.
For more up-to-date videos and details about the situation in Donbass, watch the Izvestia TV channel.
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