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Mariupol mayor says 200,000 people left city, at least 300,00 stayed

Konstantin Ivashchenko said about 60%-70% of Mariupol’s residential buildings have been damaged, and 15%-20% can’t be repaired

MOSCOW, April 7. /TASS/. About 200,000 thousand people have left Mariupol and at least 300,000 stayed, Konstantin Ivashchenko, the newly appointed city mayor, said on Rossiya-1 television.

"About 200,000-250,000 have left, and tentatively, 350,000 have stayed, at least 300,000," he said. About 50,000-60,000 people are taking cover from shelling in basements, he said.

Ivashchenko said about 60%-70% of Mariupol’s residential buildings have been damaged, and 15%-20% can’t be repaired.

The battle for Mariupol started on February 25, the day after Russian President Vladimir Putin announced a special military operation in response to a request for help by the heads of the Donbass republics. It aims to demilitarize and de-Nazify the country. The DPR and LPR started an operation to liberate their territories held by Kiev.