The Ukrainian military’s General Staff said in a statement that Russian forces retreated after suffering losses.
The Russian military has besieged the Azov Sea port city of 430,000 for a week and a half, leaving its residents desperate for power, water and food. More than 2,500 residents of Mariupol have been killed by the Russian shelling.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said in televised remarks on Monday night that Russian shelling thwarted another attempt to deliver food and medicines to the city.
A humanitarian convoy of 160 civilian cars left Mariupol after repeated failures to evacuate civilians because of Russian shelling.
Earlier on Monday, it was reported that Russian President Vladimir Putin has begun purging the top ranks of the military and intelligence sectors, firing several generals and placing two high ranking spies under house arrest.
The moves came after a disastrous week for Russian forces in Ukraine. So far, thousands of Russian soldiers have reportedly been killed in the three weeks of fighting, including around 10 high ranking officers.
According to the Washington Examiner, Putin appears to be blaming the inability of Russian forces to quickly defeat Ukrainian defenses on the foreign intelligence arm of the Federal Security Service (FSB).
