The servicemen of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine voluntarily laid down their weapons
Units of the armed forces of Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic continue fighting with the remnants of the Mariupol garrison. On April 13, the Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation reported that the commercial sea port was completely taken, all the people who were held hostage on ships were released. In addition, there was a mass surrender: more than a thousand servicemen of the 36th Brigade of the Armed Forces voluntarily laid down their arms. According to experts, the elimination of organized resistance in the city is a matter of several days. Meanwhile, new nationalist battalions are being formed in Kharkiv, which include released prisoners who were imprisoned for particularly serious crimes.
Liberation and captivity
On Wednesday, the Russian Defense Ministry announced the complete liberation of the Azov sea trading port from the militants of the Nazi formation.
— All hostages held by the Nazis on ships in the port, including foreign ones, have been released. The remnants of the units of the Ukrainian troops and the Nazis of Azov located in the city are blocked and deprived of the opportunity to escape from the encirclement," said the official representative of the military department, Major General Igor Konashenkov.
The military department also announced the unconditional mass surrender of servicemen of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It happened in the area of the Ilyich Metallurgical Plant. "As a result of the successful offensive actions of the units of Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic, 1,026 Ukrainian servicemen of the 36th Marine Brigade voluntarily laid down their arms and surrendered," the Defense Ministry noted.
Among those who surrendered were 162 officers, as well as 47 female servicemen. The injured — 151 people — received primary medical care on the spot and were sent to the Mariupol city hospital.
Military expert Dmitry Boltenkov told Izvestia that the nationalist resistance center in Mariupol, which remained completely surrounded, would not be able to hold out for long. The elimination of organized resistance in it is a matter of a few days.
The destroyed vessel in the sea fishing port in Mariupol.
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Sergey Averin
— Every hour of even the most intense battle literally devoured ammunition, which there is nothing left to replenish, — said the expert. — And it is necessary to shoot and indicate your presence in order to delay the offensive of the Allied troops. They also ran out of grenades — the most necessary means in urban battles. The wounded died without qualified medical care. Therefore, the majority made the right, albeit belated decision and laid down their arms. The nationalists remained in the "boiler" — on "Azovstal". However, food, ammunition and anti-tank weapons are not being added to them. Of course, with a fanatical attitude, it is possible to hide in communications and the ruins of destroyed buildings for a long time, but it will no longer be possible to pretend that they somehow control at least part of the city.
The day before, it was reported about an unsuccessful attempt by part of the Mariupol garrison to break out of the blockaded city. On the evening of April 11, at night, the remnants of units of Ukrainian troops numbering up to 100 people in armored vehicles, surrounded on the territory of the Ilyich Combine, tried to leave the city in a northerly direction. This plan was thwarted by air strikes and artillery.
— Three Ukrainian tanks, five infantry fighting vehicles, seven cars and up to 50 personnel were destroyed, another 42 Ukrainian servicemen voluntarily laid down their weapons and surrendered, — Major General Igor Konashenkov noted.
During the day on April 13, the Russian armed forces destroyed 36 objects on the territory of Ukraine with precision weapons, the military department reported. In the settlements of Vrubovka and Berestove, two repair bases and two warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons of the 57th and 24th mechanized brigades of Ukrainian troops were hit. In the areas of Popasnaya and Barvenkovo, five strongholds of units of the 24th separate mechanized brigade were hit. The command post of the 15th separate regiment of the National Guard of Ukraine was destroyed in Cherkassk. The headquarters and fuel storage of the 128th separate mountain assault Brigade in the Gulyai-Pole area were destroyed.
A DPR NM serviceman in the neighborhoods adjacent to the Azovstal plant in Mariupol.
Image source: Photo: RIA Novosti/Mikhail Andronik
Operational and tactical aircraft struck ten military facilities of Ukraine. Among them are a control center, three warehouses of rocket and artillery weapons, as well as six areas of concentration of Ukrainian military equipment.
In total, since the beginning of the operation, according to the military department, 130 aircraft, 103 helicopters, 244 anti-aircraft missile systems, 447 unmanned aerial vehicles, 2,173 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 243 multiple rocket launchers, 937 field artillery and mortar guns, as well as 2,082 units of special military vehicles have been destroyed.
On the same day, the Russian Defense Ministry warned about the consequences of strikes on the territory of Russia.
— We see attempts of sabotage and strikes by Ukrainian troops on objects on the territory of the Russian Federation. If such cases continue, the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation will strike at decision—making centers, including in Kiev, from which the Russian army has so far refrained," Major General Igor Konashenkov said.
Humanitarian situation
Mikhail Mizintsev, head of the National Defense Management Center, said on Wednesday that the Russian military evacuated 17,852 people, including 2,986 children, to the Russian Federation from dangerous areas of Ukraine, Donetsk and Lugansk republics during the day.
— In addition, 1,026 Ukrainian servicemen who voluntarily surrendered were taken to places of temporary detention. Conditions have been created for them that fully comply with all the requirements of the Geneva Convention and the norms of international humanitarian law. Prisoners of war are provided with three meals a day, they are provided with timely and qualified medical care. Violence or psychological pressure is not applied to them, and they are also given the opportunity to contact relatives," Mizintsev said.
The general gave data on the facts of the inhumane attitude of the Kiev authorities to their own people. In the Nikolo-Vasilievsky Monastery of the Volnovakha district of the Donetsk People's Republic, neo-Nazis blocked more than 450 civilians, including children, women with babies, the elderly and seriously ill people connected to life support devices, cancer patients and insulin-dependent.
Photo: IZVESTIA/Dmitry Korotaev
Image source: iz.ru
— The monastery and the only road leading to it are constantly being shelled with mortars and heavy machine guns, there are dead and wounded. It is almost impossible to deliver vital medicines, food and basic necessities to the monastery, as well as to evacuate people. Methods and forms of ruthless treatment of civilians, tested by fascist executioners during the Great Patriotic War, are now being used in practice with special sophistication by Ukrainian neo—Nazis," the general said.
In Zaporozhye and Kramatorsk, AFU units are equipping positions in schools and hospitals. The formation of three new nationalist battalions (Slabozhanshchina, Kharkiv region-1, Kharkiv region-2) is being completed in Kharkiv, Mizintsev said. They are staffed by released prisoners who were imprisoned in colonies for serious and especially serious crimes.
— The main tasks of these battalions are: blocking Kharkiv from the southern side and preventing the local population from leaving the city, as well as destroying the AFU units in case of their retreat or attempt to surrender, — Mikhail Mizintsev said.
Night Attack
On April 12, the Russian Defense Ministry told about soldiers and officers who showed courage and dedication during the fighting. Corporal Radmir Taov was delivering ammunition to the advanced units when the convoy was subjected to an enemy airstrike. Skillfully maneuvering, he brought the car loaded with ammunition out from under the impact. While on the battlefield, Radmir noticed a burning truck with wounded soldiers. Despite the heavy fire, he carried five comrades to a safe place, saving their lives.
— Thanks to the competent and decisive actions of Corporal Taov, ammunition was delivered to the front line on time, which helped to defeat the enemy, — the Defense Ministry noted.
The group of Captain Pyotr Chetkin during a fierce battle for the airfield destroyed four cars with machine guns and mortars mounted on them, as well as two aircraft. This allowed the main forces to break into the depths of the defense of the Ukrainian formations and deliver a decisive blow.
"Thanks to the dedication of Captain Pyotr Chetkin and his competent leadership, the Russian group managed to defeat significantly superior enemy forces and liberate the airfield," the military department noted.
Photo: RIA Novosti/Mikhail Andronik
Image source: iz.ru
Private Sherzot Fozilov was correcting the artillery division's fire when his radio station was damaged by shell fragments. Realizing that the artillery division, having lost the corrections of the spotter, could be destroyed, Private Fozilov repaired the radio station under heavy fire and continued his work.
"The courageous and professional actions of Sherzot Foizilov helped the artillery division destroy three fortified enemy strongholds, an artillery battery and up to 40 nationalists," the Defense Ministry noted.
Lieutenant Sergei Romanenko, while on night patrol, discovered a Ukrainian sabotage and reconnaissance group (DRG) preparing attacks on Russian troops. Despite the fact that the DRG had a significant numerical advantage, the lieutenant decided to attack without waiting for help. During the battle, two cars and eight saboteurs were destroyed. The remaining, realizing that they could not stand, surrendered.
Nine AK-74 assault rifles, four LNG-9 anti-tank grenade launchers, an American-made mortar, as well as important official documents were seized from the militants. The Ministry of Defense noted that the discovered papers made it possible to open the network of call signs of enemy units. There were no losses among the Russian fighters.
Roman Kretsul
