"In the city of Mariupol ... as a result of successful offensive operations by the Russian armed forces and police units of the Donetsk People's Republic, 1,026 Ukrainian servicemen of the 36th Marine Brigade voluntarily laid down their arms and surrendered", Russian Defence Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters.
Among the surrendered are 162 officers and 47 female soldiers, the official noted.
The DPR militia previously seized control of the city's port, while Russian and Donbass forces tightened the encirclement around the remaining Ukrainian radicals in the city.
Reclaiming Mariupol, which is the second-largest city in the DPR, is one of the considerable steps in the special operation in Ukraine, launched by Moscow in February.
View of Mariupol after heavy fighting for the city. 3 April, 2022.
© Sputnik / Илья Питалев
/ Russian President Vladimir Putin said that the op was started to stop the genocide in Donbass, where people have been suffering from an eight-year-long war waged by Kiev, and stated that Russia's goal is the denazification and demilitarisation of Ukraine.