The ministry added that most of those held by nationalists in Ukraine are seeking protection in Russia, not in the West.
MOSCOW, March 14. /tass/. Almost all the firing points of neo-Nazis in the suburbs of Mariupol and their forces in residential areas around the perimeter of the city have been destroyed. This was stated on Monday by the head of the National Defense Control Center of the Russian Federation, Colonel-General Mikhail Mizintsev.
"Today, as a result of effective actions by the formations of the Donetsk People's Republic, with the support of units of the Russian Armed Forces, almost all firing points equipped with neo-Nazis in the suburban areas of Mariupol have been pointwise destroyed," Mizintsev said.
According to him, the successful operation to unblock the city made it possible today from 15 o'clock to open humanitarian corridors for civilians to exit and to begin mass evacuation of the population that had been held hostage by neo-Nazis for a long time.
Car convoys with humanitarian cargo were promptly formed and immediately dispatched. The first convoy has already arrived in Mariupol and delivered 450 tons of medicines, basic necessities and food, including baby food.
In addition, four columns with a total of 200 buses have been formed to evacuate the needy and injured residents of Mariupol, of which 50 have already arrived in Mariupol, the rest are on the move.
All the injured and willing residents of Mariupol will be taken to temporary accommodation facilities, where all conditions for comfortable living are created for them. Arriving citizens will be provided with everything necessary, issues of placement of children in preschool institutions, schoolchildren and students in educational institutions will be promptly resolved. Individual work with the participation of medical workers and employees of the psychological service will be carried out with each Mariupol citizen who has experienced the horrors and humiliations of neo-Nazis.
Threats to the population
According to Mizintsev, nationalists, under the threat of reprisals against family members, force men from 18 to 60 years old to enroll in battalions in Kharkiv, Odessa and Nikolaev.
"In large cities such as Kharkiv, Odessa, Nikolaev, members of nationalist formations, under threat of physical violence against family members of men aged 18 to 60, forcibly force them to enroll in territorial defense battalions," Mizintsev said.
According to the Colonel-General, residents are intimidated and forced to agree.
He also said that neo-Nazis continue to completely or partially destroy the Russian-speaking population in Ukraine, in fact, to carry out its genocide.
"And at present, neo-Nazis continue their activities aimed at the complete or partial destruction of the Russian-speaking population, in fact, at its genocide," he said.
According to him, since the nationalists came to power in 2014, a "full-fledged, large-scale, prepared and managed by Western specialists campaign for mass Ukrainization of the population, aimed primarily against Russian-speaking citizens of the country," was conducted in Ukraine.
Kiev's discriminatory policy forced native speakers of the Russian language and culture to hide their beliefs under threat of criminal prosecution. "Ukrainization, deployed at the state level, has done its job <...> Deprived millions of citizens of their country of the opportunity to develop their native language and culture, to raise children in the Russian cultural environment," he added.
Search for protection
Mizintsev noted that most of the civilian population that the nationalists are holding in the cities of Ukraine is seeking protection not from the West, but from Russia.
"In the context of a humanitarian crisis, most of the population held by nationalists in the cities of Ukraine and used by them as a human shield is looking for protection in Russia, and not in the West, which is confirmed by millions of appeals from citizens for help in evacuation to the Russian side," Mizintsev said.
According to him, the Kiev authorities demonstrate complete indifference to these people and willingness to sacrifice them for the sake of nationalist interests. Mizintsev stressed that people are forced to stay in their homes, allowing evacuation only to the western regions of Ukraine or neighboring European countries, but not to Russia.
A significant part of the population of Ukraine, more than 15 million people, retains strong ties with Russia, Minintsev added. "Let me remind you that historically, a significant part of the population of Ukraine has always advocated good relations with Russia. According to statistics, this is more than 15 million people who still maintain strong ties with the Russian Federation, where their relatives, relatives and friends live," he said.
Mizintsev clarified that first of all these are Zaporozhye, Dnepropetrovsk, Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Odessa, Poltava, Sumy, Kirovograd, Cherkasy, Kiev and Zhytomyr regions.
According to the Ministry of Defense, almost 7 thousand foreign citizens remain held hostage by the militants of the territorial defense battalions of Ukraine.
"6,972 citizens from 22 foreign countries, as well as the crews of more than 50 foreign vessels blocked in the seaports of Ukraine, continue to be held hostage by the militants of the territorial defense battalions," Mizintsev said.
He said that round-the-clock point work with representatives of the relevant diplomatic agencies has been organized on the further fate of these citizens.
"At the same time, the Ukrainian authorities practically do not react in any way to the appeals of foreign states for the rescue of compatriots in distress," Mizintsev stressed.
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