The Russian Defence Ministry said that Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol used about 150 civilians as human shields and opened fire on DPR fighters from behind the civilians’ backs.
Since the beginning of the military’s special operation, the Russian Armed Forces have destroyed 2,396 military facilities in Ukraine, Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Maj. Gen. Igor Konashenkov said.
“In total, 2,396 military infrastructure facilities of Ukraine were destroyed during the operation. Among them: 82 control points and communication centres of the Ukrainian armed forces, 119 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as 76 radar stations,” he said.
He specified that 827 tanks and other armoured combat vehicles, 84 multiple launch rocket systems, 304 field artillery and mortar guns, 603 units of special military vehicles, as well as 78 unmanned aerial vehicles were also destroyed.
“Last night, Russian Aerospace Forces fighter aircraft and military air defence shot down three more Su-27s of the Ukrainian Air Force in the Poltava region, one Su-25 in the Gostomel region, two Mi-24 helicopters in the Makarov region and eight unmanned aerial vehicles, including including Bayraktar TB-2,” the general said.
The armed forces have taken control of six more settlements in Ukraine, Konashenkov added.
“Today, from 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, a ceasefire has been declared and six humanitarian corridors were opened: one from Kiev to Gomel; two from Mariupol to Zaporozhye and Rostov-on-Don; one from Kharkov to Belgorod; two from Sumy to Belgorod and to Poltava,” Konashenkov said.
According to him, detailed information about the humanitarian corridors was brought to the Ukrainian side in advance, as well as to the specialised structures of the UN, the OSCE and the International Committee of the Red Cross.
He noted that during the opening of humanitarian corridors, the Armed Forces will carry out “continuous objective monitoring of the evacuation with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles”.
Source: Agencies (edited by Al-Manar English Website)
