Russia's Defence Ministry

Russia's Defence Ministry revealed Monday that Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol used about 150 civilians as human shields and opened fire on fighters from the Donetsk People's Republic from behind the civilians' backs.

"At around 17.00 Moscow time, on Pobedy Avenue in Mariupol, DPR servicemen collided with a unit of Ukrainian armed nationalists. The militants drove more than 150 civilians ahead of them, hiding behind them as a 'human shield'," Russian Defence Ministry Spokesperson Major General Igor Konashenkov indicated.

Russian progress & Ukrainian casualties

Konashenkov confirmed that the Russian military has destroyed 2,396 Ukrainian military facilities since the beginning of Russia's special military operation in Ukraine.

Among the destroyed facilities are "82 control points and communication centers of the Ukrainian armed forces, 119 S-300, Buk M-1 and Osa anti-aircraft missile systems, as well as 76 radar stations," he mentioned.

The Russian spokesperson added that the Russian Armed Forces also destroyed 827 tanks and other armored combat vehicles, 84 multiple launch rocket systems, 304 field artillery and mortar guns, 603 units of special military vehicles, as well as 78 unmanned aerial vehicles.

“Last night, Russian Aerospace Forces fighter aircraft and military air defense shot down three more Su-27s of the Ukrainian Air Force in the Poltava region, one Su-25 in the Gostomel region, two Mi-24 helicopters in the Makarov region and eight unmanned aerial vehicles, including Bayraktar TB-2,” Konashenkov confirmed.

In addition, the Russian forces took control of six more settlements in Ukraine, he highlighted.

Russian Armed Forces monitoring evacuation

The Major General announced that “Today, from 10:00 a.m. Moscow time, a ceasefire has been declared and six humanitarian corridors were opened: one from Kiev to Gomel; two from Mariupol to Zaporozhye and Rostov-on-Don; one from Kharkov to Belgorod; two from Sumy to Belgorod and to Poltava."

Konashenkov emphasized that the Russian Armed Forces will be monitoring "the evacuation with the use of unmanned aerial vehicles."