Russian army continues to secure civilians’ evacuation from Mariupol

Moscow, SANA- Russian army continues to help civilians exit safely from the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, where clashes continue between Russian forces and members of the Ukrainian extremist Azov battalion.

“Our forces continue to ensure the safe exit of peaceful people who want to leave the city without participating in hostilities,” Russian Defense Ministry said in a statement on Wednesday.

The ministry added that those civilians are held hostages by the Ukrainian Nazi national units that have stationed in residential areas and have been using civilian population as human shields in the military operation.

The ministry noted that “the humanitarian situation in Mariupol has acquired catastrophic dimensions due to the Ukrainian Nazi nationalist battalions that do not want to lay down their weapons and prevent tens of thousands of civilians from leaving the city safely.”

Nisreen Othman/ Ruaa al-Jazaeri