Mariupol residents are threatened with a purge and asked to leave the city center
Mariupol, April 17 (Navigator, Victoria Litovchenko) – Residents of the center of Mariupol are advised to leave their homes in connection with a special operation by Ukrainian security forces. Schools, kindergartens and other social institutions are closed in the city.
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As Navigator reported, on the night of April 16-17, a shootout took place in the city center between the military and unknown persons. According to one version, pro-Russian activists came to negotiations with the leadership of the battalion of internal troops without weapons. After some time, shots were fired in their direction. According to the version followed by the Ukrainian security forces, the shooting was started not by the military, but by “militants.” According to the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, the military unit was pelted with Molotov cocktails and opened fire on the officers on duty.
At the moment the situation in Mariupol is quite tense. The city is evacuating people from buildings located in close proximity to the city executive committee due to the possibility of its storming in the near future. Near the city executive committee there are volunteers of the Ukrainian Red Cross Society who are preparing to provide assistance to the victims.
“The SBU is urgently asking everyone to leave the city center. Those who are unlucky enough to live in the center, close the windows and do not approach,” the portal “0629” reports.
According to the publication, a checkpoint is now being urgently constructed at the entrance to Mariupol from Donetsk.
City Council deputies hastened to prepare an appeal in which they criticized the pro-Russian activists who seized the City Council building.
“As people’s representatives, knowing the mood of the residents and fulfilling the instructions of our voters, we declare to those who seize buildings, show aggression and violence: leave Mariupol alone. Your actions have already led to bloodshed, so do not expect support from the townspeople,” the statement says.
Let us remind you that on April 13, supporters of the “Donetsk People’s Republic” occupied the City Council building. The main demand of the protesters was a referendum. Activists announced the dissolution of the city council’s deputy corps and the preservation of the executive committee to ensure the life of the city.
Mariupol residents are threatened with a purge and asked to leave the city center.