Military expert: When Russia takes Mariupol, Kyiv regime will fall

As soon as the Russian forces take the city of Mariupol under control, the Kiev regime will fall, Vladimir Kozin, a member of the Academy of Military Sciences of the Russian Federation said.

The capture of Mariupol and its complete liberation from Ukrainian neo-Nazis is of great importance for the Russian Army.

1. The Russian troops will be able to release and liberate all civilians from the city.
2. If Mariupol is captured and Kharkov falls too, the Kiev regime will cease to exist in its current form, the expert said.

The forces of the Donetsk and Luhansk People's Republics have established control over the settlements of Olginka, Rovnopol, Ivanovka. During street fighting in Mariupol, 12 enemy firing points were destroyed, 16 civilians were evacuated from the liberated houses.

Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered to start the military operation in Ukraine on February 24, after the heads of the Donetsk People's Republic and Luhansk People's Republic turned to Putin asking for help.

Former Prime Minister of Ukraine Mykola Azarov later said that Ukraine was preparing to attack the Donbass on February 25.