MOSCOW. Aug 28 (Interfax) - Militiamen of the self-proclaimed "Donetsk People's Republic" (DPR) claim they have approached roads leading to the city of Mariupol.
"We have passed Novoazovsk. It is now under our control. We have approached roads leading to Mariupol. I think that liberating this city is a matter of the next few days. We have got everything ready for it," a DPR militia headquarters spokesman told Interfax.
The spokesman claims that "officials of the pro-Kyiv Donetsk region administration, policemen who served the Kyiv authorities and numerous whistle-blowers are fleeing Mariupol in a hurry."
"All supporters of the Kyiv regime are fleeing. They are leaving the city and heading both to Kyiv and to the western regions. Some of them are trying to enter Russia posing as refugees. Obviously, they understand that a storm of the city is not far off. We will free Mariupol soon," he said.
Ukrainian National Security and Defense Council (NSDC) spokesman Andriy Lysenko, for his part, said at a press briefing on Wednesday that Novoazovsk was under Ukrainian army control but militia forces were shelling the town, which lies on the Azov Sea shore and not far from the Russian border.
Lysenko said that Novoazovsk was being shelled by artillery positioned in the vicinity of the Russian border at a maximum distance of 10 kilometers from the town. However, he said he could not confirm reports that the attacking militia forces were armed with tanks.
Lysenko said reinforcements had been sent to the Novoazovsk area and that the army was setting up new positions and checkpoints.
Citing an update, he said the situation in Mariupol, a city also situated on the Azov Sea coast, was quiet.