MARIUPOL (Ukraine) – Russian troops cleared the Azovstal steelworks’ industrial ground of mines and debris after thousands of Ukrainian soldiers had been trapped there for several weeks. They were given orders to stop.

The video shows soldiers walking through the compound swinging mine detectors across roads, while other officers checked for explosive devices under the objects.

The task is enormous, as the enemy had planted their own mines and we also installed anti-personnel mines to block the enemy. “So we have two weeks to work,” stated the Russian soldier Babai, who did not give his real name.

Russia said Friday that all the Ukrainian fighters who were defending Azovstal have surrendered. Although Ukraine does not confirm this development, a commander in one unit of the factory stated in video that they had been given orders to withdraw their troops.

Russian and pro-Russian forces captured the fighters who took refuge in these tunnels.

After a string of defeats over nearly three months, Vladimir Putin won the rare victory in Mariupol. It was Russia’s largest city since it invaded Ukraine in February 24.

On Sunday, Azovstal mines were detonated using controlled explosions. The debris was also removed from steelworks roads by military bulldozers.

Drone footage captured the buildings of the steelworks in ruin, with some partly collapsed, others charred and many more just a heap of rubble.

Over 100 explosives had been destroyed over the course of two days. Babai added that work was continuing.

Russia now has complete control over Mariupol and can use it to link the Crimean Peninsula with Russia. Moscow captured this land route in 2014.

Moscow describes its actions as a “specially military operation”, to protect Ukraine from fascists and disarm Ukraine. The West and Ukraine both claim that the claims of fascists are unfounded and that this war was an unprovoked aggression.