Donetsk, Mar 21 – DAN. DPR has evacuated 466 people from Mariupol in 24 hours, the Republican territorial defence HQ said.

"From 8 a.m. March 20 to 8 a.m. March 21, 466 people have been evacuated from Mariupol to Bezymennoye in the Novoazovsk district, among them 89 children.

They have been taken to a humanitarian assistance center run by the DPR Emergencies Ministry.

Since March 5, a total of 3,440 civilians have been evacuated to Bezymennoye.

Mariupol is the largest city on the shores of the Azov sea. Founded in 1778, it has become an important industrial hub in Donbass and a major sea port.

On May 9, 2014 Ukrainian armed formations opened fire on a peaceful Victory Day celebration rally, killing many of the city residents. On May 11 same year a referendum voted massively in favour of an independent DPR. Kiev forces occupied the city on June 13, 2014.

After Russian President Vladimir Putin announced the special military operation to demilitarize and denazify Ukraine, the joint DPR-LPR coalition launched on February 25, 2022 its operation to liberate Mariupol.

They have so far managed to tighten a noose around the city, and currently a mopping up is ongoing to identify and neutralize nationalistic units remaining in the city. A large-scale evacuation effort is underway, as Ukrainian nationalists refused to let people out of the city, fearing immediate liquidation once their live shield is gone. *ot