INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
A federal lawmaker from the republic of Chechnya said Russian troops have successfully "destroyed" the besieged Ukrainian port city of
Mariupol on presidential orders, according to video posted by Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov late Thursday.Adam Delimkhanov made the
statement wearing combat uniform alongside dozens of Chechen troops in front of the charred remains of what he called the last holdout of
Mariupol's defense, the Azovstal steel plant.President Vladimir Putin had ordered to abort the planned storming of Azovstal as he hailed the
destroy and clear Mariupol has been completed today," Delimkhanov said."President Vladimir Putin's orders have been fulfilled
Ramzan Akhmatovich [Kadyrov's] orders have been fulfilled."It was not immediately clear whether Delimkhanov, who is a member of the Russian
lower house of parliament, the State Duma, intended to explicitly state that Putin and Kadyrov have ordered to "destroy" Mariupol.Russian
forces have pummelled the southern city almost since the start of Russia's Feb
Its mayor said earlier this month the city has been 90% destroyed, more than 5,000 of its residents killed and 130,000 still trapped.Moscow
seeks to create a land bridge connecting annexed Crimea and the pro-Russian separatist republics in the Donbas region via Mariupol.Ukrainian
President Volodymyr Zelensky said Friday that Mariupol "continues to resist" despite Russian claims to have captured it.Ukrainian officials
have appealed for a humanitarian corridor to allow civilians and wounded fighters to leave Azovstal.
