March 11, 2022: according to the Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation, armed forces of the Donetsk People's Republic made new gains against the neo-Nazi "Azov" Brigade and "Pravy Sektor" within the city of
Mariupol, Ukraine. DPR troops took control of such Mariupol's areas as Azovsky, Naidenovka, Lyapino, Vinogradar and Zapadny districts.
Mariupol, like a number of other Ukranian cities, is currently facing a humanitarian distress. Ukrainian Armed Forces have been repeatedly denying the predominant Russian-speaking majority to leave the city. Several cease fires have been declared by Russian Army to allow civilians out of the surrounded city through a safe corridor. However Ukrainian right-extremist militias do not allow noncombatants to leave, using them as "human shields".
On March 10, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov reported that
Mariupol's maternity home, which had been fired upon, had been long abandoned and was occupied by neo-Nazi Swastika-flying "Azov" Brigade.
Some citizens of Mariupol had
managed to leave the city via humanitarian corridor and reached Taganrog.
It is to be noted that earlier in 2014 residents of Mariupol
appealed to Vladimir Putin for help in holding a referendum to rejoin Russia. In May 2014, despite the punitive raids organized by stooge government in Kiev, Russian-speaking majority in Donetsk and Lugansk regions
voted in referendums on independence from Ukraine. It was followed by
violent clashes between the locals and "Right Sector" storm troopers, with tanks and armored vehicle used again by Kiev junta against peaceful residents of the city.
February 24 Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in Ukraine in response to a request from Donetsk and Lugansk People's Republics. It is carried out to stop the war that had continued in Donbass area for the last eight years, to demilitarize Ukraine, to liberate Ukraine from neo-Nazis, and to protect the people in the eastern part of the country suffering from genocide by Kiev-backed militias.
Russian Defense Ministry announced that Russian forces do not target Ukrainian cities, adding that they eliminate military infrastructure with precision strikes.