Russian MoD: Sladkoe cleared of neo-Nazis, Mariupol coming to end
Russian Defense Ministry Spokesperson Igor Konashenkov briefs on the war in Ukraine.
Today, Thursday, the Russian Ministry of Defense announced that its forces, during the night, destroyed 4 Ukrainian fuel storage bases in the east and south, using sea-based high-precision Kalibr cruise missiles.
The storage facilities were mostly located in Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kharkov and Chuguev.
A spokesman for the Russian Armed Forces, Major General Igor Konashenkov, said that the Russian forces shot down 4 drones, and that forces of the Donetsk People's Republic units completely cleared the Sladkoe settlement of neo-Nazis.
Furthermore, the operational and tactical aviation of the Russian Aerospace Forces hit 29 military facilities in Ukraine, including 2 command centers, a lighting and guidance radar for the S-300 system, 7 artillery batteries, a warehouse for missiles and artillery ammunition, in addition to 10 combat mechanism strongholds where troops gather.
According to Konashenkov, since February 24, Ukrainian forces have lost 125 aircraft, 93 helicopters, 413 drones, 227 anti-air missile systems, 1,987 tanks and armored vehicles, 218 rocket launchers, 866 artillery and mortars, in addition to 1,894 military vehicles belonging to the Ukrainian armed forces.
Mariupol wrapping up
Today, Thursday, the spokesman for the DPR forces, Eduard Basurin, announced the end of the major battles in Mariupol's center.
Basurin estimated that up to 3,500 Ukrainian troops were participating in the intense fighting in Mariupol which centered around the Azovstal iron and steel works port, revealing that armed civilians were fighting with the Ukrainian army.
"But you have to take into account the fact that some residents of Mariupol have taken up arms. Therefore that number could be higher," he said in remarks broadcast on Russian television.
As for Donetsk, Basurin told India Today, "Almost 65% of our territory [Donetsk] is controlled by us and 35% is under the control of the Ukrainian Armed Forces. The main control is in the south of the Republic [Donetsk People’s Republic], northern and southern parts are under the control of the Ukrainian fighters."