Fifteen servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine voluntarily laid down their arms

Armored cars of the People's Militia of the DPR at the entrance to Mariupol. File photoDONETSK, Mar 22 Nine Ukrainian servicemen of the 54th Mechanized Brigade and six of the 25th Airborne Brigade voluntarily laid down their arms, according to the People's Militia of the Donetsk People's Republic.»Nine Ukrainian servicemen of the 54th mechanized brigade and six from the 25th airborne brigade voluntarily laid down their arms and came over to our side,» the message on the Telegram channel reads. , 11 military men of the 54th mechanized brigade voluntarily laid down their arms and went over to the side of the republic. Russia launched a military operation in Ukraine on February 24. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to abuse and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» To this end, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine» bloody crimes against civilians» of Donbass. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, the Armed Forces strike only at military infrastructure and Ukrainian troops. With the support of the Russian Armed Forces, the DPR and LPR groups are developing an offensive, but there is no talk of the occupation of Ukraine, the Russian President emphasized. As of March 21, more than 4 thousand military infrastructure facilities were destroyed, as well as over 1.5 thousand tanks and other armored combat vehicles , 152 multiple rocket launchers and 216 drones, including Turkish Bayraktar TB2.