Chechen fighters working with the Russian forces in Mariupol stood in front of a burning building and claimed they have ‘cleansed and destroyed’ the Ukrainian city, in a video aired Friday.
The video was posted to the telegram account of Ramzan Kadyrov, the head of the Republic of Chechnya, and a key ally to Putin. Chechen forces are supporting Russia in their war with Ukraine and are fighting as part of Russia’s military operation.
Though the Chechen unit boasts about destroying and cleansing the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky pushed back and said that Mariupol is, “A city that continues to resist Russia, despite everything the occupiers say.”
He claimed that the horrors in and around the city of Mariupol are difficult for anyone outside of it to understand. Satellite images outside the city reportedly show the presence of mass graves.
Ukrainian soldiers continue to fight and defend against the Russian military as they try to take control of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.
