Destroyed houses near the Azovstal plant in Mariupol. File photoMARIUPOL, Apr 22In the area of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, where the remnants of Ukrainian nationalists are blocked, shooting and explosions are heard, a RIA Novosti correspondent reports on Friday. The intensity of the fire is low, but judging by the power of the explosions, one can speak of a large caliber of ammunition. On Thursday, Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to cancel the assault on the territory of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, where, according to the Ministry of Defense, forces controlled by Kiev are located. The Supreme Commander-in-Chief explained his order with considerations of saving the lives of Russian military personnel. At the time of the proclamation of the DPR in 2014, Mariupol, with a population of about 450,000 people, was the second largest city in the republic after Donetsk. However, in June of the same year, the Ukrainian security forces regained control of the city, and its eastern outskirts became one of the hottest places of conflict in Ukraine.RIA Novosti removed Azovstal after the decision not to storm the plant The official representative of the Ministry of Defense, Igor Konashenkov, announced on April 16 that the entire city territory had been cleared from the Ukrainian army, foreign mercenaries and neo-Nazis from the Azov regiment (against whose militants a criminal case was initiated in Russia), and the remnants of the Armed Forces group were blocked at Azovstal. Russia began special operation in Ukraine on 24 February. President Vladimir Putin called its goal «the protection of people who have been subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kiev regime for eight years.» For this, according to him, it is planned to carry out «demilitarization and denazification of Ukraine», to bring to justice all war criminals responsible for «bloody crimes against civilians» in Donbass. .jpg» />The surrendered officer spoke about the losses of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine in Mariupol
