MOSCOW, March 12. /TASS/. Neo-Nazi groups in Mariupol started to loot homes of local residents, killing those who resist them, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of the Russian National Center for Defense Management, said on Saturday.

"Today, armed neo-Nazi gangs went on a yet another looting spree in residential areas, robbing local residents of their remaining food, clothes and valuables," he said.

"Those who resisted in any form were gunned down on the spot," Mizintsev added.

He went on to say that Ukraine’s authorities continued to violate agreements on humanitarian corridors to Russia, because civilians in Kiev, Chernigov, Kharkov and Sumy have not been notified about them.

Ukrainian neo-Nazis have detained and sent back 450 civilians, who were trying to leave Ukraine’s Sumy region for Russia’s Kursk region, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, chief of Russia’s National Defense Management Center, said on Saturday.

"We have also reliably established today that neo-Nazis detained all the civilians, about 450 people, who were trying to leave the Sumy region to the north through the town of Sudzha to Russia’s Kursk region. Private cars were seized, and the civilians were simply sent back in the opposite direction," Mizintsev said.

Ukrainian neo-Nazis are holding 6,900 foreigners from 16 countries hostage, Colonel General Mikhail Mizintsev, the head of the Russian National Center for Defense Management, said on Saturday.

"More than 6,900 foreigners from 16 countries are held hostage by Ukrainian neo-Nazis, who are using them as a human shield," he said.

The official also mentioned "crews of more than 50 foreign vessels, who are unable to leave Ukrainian ports due to the danger of mines planted by Ukraine in the Azov Sea and the Black Sea in breach of the international humanitarian law."

Among them are citizens of Azerbaijan, Greece, Georgia, Egypt, India, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey, the Philippines, Jamaica and other states.

"We working to solve problems of the above-mentioned individuals with officials from various diplomatic bodies," the Russian general said.

On February 24, Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. He stressed that Moscow had no plans of occupying Ukrainian territories, but aims to demilitarize and denazify the country. The Russian Defense Ministry said that Russian troops are not targeting Ukrainian cities, but are incapacitating Ukrainian military infrastructure, therefore there are no threats to the civilian population.