Head of the Chechen Republic, Ramzan Kadyrov, published a video showing the military storming the Azovstal iron steel works in Mariupol, where Ukrainian nationalists are stranded.
“Our guys are actively storming the Azovstal metallurgical plant, where the remains of the militants of the national battalions have found shelter. In this footage, we can see a tactical quadrocopter inspecting the territory, identifying the enemy firing positions. Among other things, our fighters noticed a sniper crawling on the roof of one of the buildings, who, having been discovered, made a doomed attempt to escape. Without thinking twice, the Chechen fighters decided to eliminate the target," Kadyrov said.
He emphasised that the forces managed to keep casualties among the ranks down to minimum.
The DPR militia announced earlier in the day that their troops had seized control of downtown Mariupol, but fighting in the port and industrial zone has yet to cease.
Kiev previously tried to evacuate the leadership of the neo-Nazi Azov battalion from Mariupol, as nationalists were believed to be surrounded in Azovstal. However, the Russian military brought down the helicopters sent to evacuate the radicals.