Deputy Commander of Ukraine's nationalist Azov* Battalion killed in Mariupol

Deputy commander of the Ukrainian Azov* regiment, Lieutenant Svyatoslav Palamar (call sign Kalina), was eliminated in Mariupol, First Deputy Minister of Information of the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) Daniil Bezsonov, told RT.

Palamar was inside one of the Mi-8 helicopters that were shot down by DPR's air defence systems.

Earlier, DPR forces prevented the evacuation of Azov* Commander Denis Prokopenko and Commander of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) Volodymyr Baranyuk from Mariupol. Servicemen of the DPR People's Militia managed to stop the evacuation of the Ukrainian commanders as they were trying to fly a helicopter to escape from the territory of the Azovstal plant and thus leave Mariupol.

Earlier, the Russian military destroyed one of the main ideologists of the Azov* regiment, Nikolai Kravchenko. A soldier with the call sign Kruk (Ukrainian for "raven") was kiled in Mariupol, surrounded by the forces of the Donetsk People's Republic.

Russian troops enter advantageous line in Ukraine

Meanwhile, the units of the Russian Armed Forces took full control of the settlement of Zolotaya Niva, crossed the Kashlagach River and entrenched themselves at an advantageous line, Major General Igor Konashenkov, an official representative for the Russian Defense Ministry said.

According to Konashenkov, the Russian army advanced for six kilometers during 24 hours.

"Up to 60 Ukrainian nationalists, two tanks, 4 infantry fighting vehicles, 9 vehicles have been were destroyed,” Konashenkov reported.

Units of the Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) completed the cleansing of the settlement of Zhitlovka and moved forward for five kilometers, Konashenkov also said. Now they are fighting on the outskirts of the village of Kremennaya.

On March 30 at night, large fuel depots were destroyed with high-precision air-launched missiles in the settlements of Dnepropetrovsk, Lisichansk, Chuguev and Novomoskovsk. The destroyed depots had been used to supply fuel to Ukrainian troops in the Donbass.

*banned in Russia