A federal lawmaker from the republic of Chechnya said Russian troops have successfully "destroyed" the besieged Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on presidential orders, according to video posted by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov late Thursday.Adam Delimkhanov made the statement wearing combat uniform alongside dozens of Chechen troops in front of the charred remains of what he called the last holdout of Mariupol's defense, the Azovstal steel plant.President Vladimir Putin had ordered to abort the planned storming of Azovstal as he hailed the "liberation" of Mariupol as a "success" hours after Kadyrov promised to capture the plant that day."It can be said the special operation to destroy and clear Mariupol has been completed today," Delimkhanov said."President Vladimir Putin's orders have been fulfilled.
Ramzan Akhmatovich [Kadyrov's ] orders have been fulfilled."It was not immediately clear whether Delimkhanov, who is a member of the Russian lower house of parliament, the State Duma, intended to explicitly state that Putin and Kadyrov have ordered to "destroy" Mariupol.Russian forces have pummelled the southern city almost since the start of Russia's Feb.
24 invasion of Ukraine.
Its mayor said earlier this month the city has been 90% destroyed, more than 5,000 of its residents killed and 130,000 still trapped.Moscow seeks to create a land bridge connecting annexed Crimea and the pro-Russian separatist republics in the Donbas region via Mariupol.Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Mariupol "continues to resist" despite Russian claims to have captured it.Ukrainian officials have appealed for a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians and wounded fighters to leave Azovstal.