A complete cleansing of the Azovstal plant liberated from Ukrainian nationalists in Mariupol will take two to three weeks. All Ukrainian militants hiding at the enterprise will be found, Eduard Basurin, official representative of the People’s Militia of the DPR, said on May 26.
“At the very beginning, I said that <…> after his release (Azovstal. – Ed.) There will be a complete cleansing within two to three weeks, because the territory is large, there is where to hide. Plus, the inconsistency of the overall command at Azovstal, it led to the fact that everyone lived in their own way and everyone was hiding in their own corner. Therefore, it is possible that they will find (hidden militants. – Ed.). I think that they themselves would be happy to come out, but they are afraid, ”Basurin said on Channel One.
The representative of the NM DPR stressed that everyone would be found.
“They, like a frightened puppy, hide, hide in some corner and think that their fate will pass by, and they think that no one will find them. They will find everyone,” he assured.
Earlier on Thursday, Izvestiya TV correspondent Roman Polshakov showed the situation at the plant, in the basements of which, according to Russian military estimates, there are about 300 decomposing bodies of dead Ukrainian militants.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation announced the complete release of Azovstal on May 20. According to the agency, since May 16, 2,439 Azov militants and Ukrainian servicemen have surrendered during the Russian special operation.
Later, Russian sapper units began to carry out engineering reconnaissance and demining from explosive objects on the territory of the plant. Specialized armored demining vehicles were involved in work in the most dangerous areas.
The Ministry of Defense of the Russian Federation offered the militants who had settled at the plant to surrender as early as mid-April. All those who laid down their arms were guaranteed the preservation of life. At the same time, the department said that Kyiv was threatening to shoot the military blocked at the plant for trying to surrender to the Russian Armed Forces.
On February 24, Russia announced the start of a special operation to protect Donbass. The operation began against the backdrop of the situation in the Donbass that worsened in mid-February. The authorities of the DPR and LPR reported increased shelling by Ukrainian troops, announced the evacuation of civilians in the Russian Federation and asked for recognition of independence. On February 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed a corresponding decree.