MARIUPOL, May 23. /TASS/. Mine disposal specialists from the Russian defense ministry’s international mine action center have cleared a 50-kilometer section of the Azov Sea coastline near the port of Mariupol, a field engineer with the codename Makhmut told journalists on Monday.

"My group was working along the coastline. We have cleared some 50 kilometers," he said, adding that it took around three weeks to demine this section.

Mariupol is the largest city on the Azov Sea coast, a large seaport and a key metallurgical center in Donbass. The battles for Mariupol erupted on February 25 and the city was totally blocked. Now, the city is under the control of the Russian army and forces of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR). Restoration works are already underway in the city.