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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Joe Golder & Milo Boyd

Moment feared Ukrainian regiment obliterates Russian armoured personnel carrier

Fighters with the notorious Azov regiment were reportedly filmed desperately defending the besieged city of Mariupol.

In the clip, which is filmed from a tank, bullets stream into a Russian armoured personnel carrier sporting the letter Z, which is destroyed under the bombardment.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence released the video on Monday evening and a spokesperson said: "Brilliant combat work of the units of the Allied Forces, which continue to defend Mariupol."

The footage has also been shared by the Azov Regiment, which claimed credit for the attack.

"During the day, as a result of fighting, Azov fighters destroyed one typhoon, four armoured personnel carriers, two BBM 'Lynx'," they said in a statement.

To keep up to date with all the latest Ukrainian war updates, follow our live blog.

The Ukrainian troops opened fire on the tank (Newsflash)

"Many infantry were also killed, including 17 Russian GRU special forces. Fighting for Ukrainian Mariupol continues, despite the fact that the city is under siege.

"Defenders of the city continue to fight for every citizen, despite the fact that the enemy is trying to capture the city.

"The fighters are fighting steadily and selflessly with the Russian horde, which is constantly attacking Mariupol with aircraft and artillery."

The Azov Regiment, also known as the Azov Battalion, is a notorious group of soldiers who were officially incorporated into the National Guard of Ukraine in 2014 after recapturing Mariupol from pro-Russian separatists in June that year.

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has accused the Battalion of mass looting, unlawful detention, and torture.

They have long held connections to Neo-Nazism, and their troops have been seen wearing SS and Swastika symbols.

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Its armour is pierce under the intense fire (Newsflash)
The military unit explodes (Newsflash)

Russian President Vladimir Putin appears to have capitalised on the presence of this group in eastern Ukraine to announce his so-called "special military operation" to "de-Nazify Ukraine", painting the whole country with the same brush as this regiment.

On a national level, the political branch of the Azov Regiment failed to win any seats in the Ukrainian parliament.

Now they appear to be focused on pushing out invading Russian forces from the bombed-out city pf Mariupol, which was hit days ago by Russian missiles that destroyed a maternity ward and claimed the lives of children.

It was announced yesterday evening that a pregnant woman photographed being carried from the rubble of the attack had died after her baby was stillborn.

Mariupol has been in a desperate situation for the past two weeks.

Russian forces have completed encircled the city, which lies in the south east of Ukraine, stopping vital supplies from getting in and civilians from getting out.

Mariupol City Council has confirmed that around 2,357 people in the city have died as a result of Russian aggression as of March 14.

Peter Maurer, the president of the International Committee of the Red Cross, has been warning that the situation in the city is increasingly dire.

A drone flight over Mariupol showed damage done to the city (via REUTERS)

“We call on all parties involved in the fighting to place humanitarian imperatives first," he said.

"People in Mariupol have endured a weeks-long life-and-death nightmare. This needs to stop now. Their safety and their access to food, water and shelter must be guaranteed."

Hundreds of thousands of the city’s residents are now facing extreme or total shortages of basic necessities like food, water and medicine.

People of all ages are sheltering in unheated basements, risking their lives to make short runs outside for food and water.

Dead bodies, of civilians and combatants, remain trapped under the rubble or lying in the open where they fell.

Life-changing injuries and chronic, debilitating conditions cannot be treated.

"The human suffering is simply immense," Mr Maurer added.

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