The whole of Mariupol is now under the control of the armed forces of Russia, the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic, said Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu. According to the TASS agency, Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the cancellation of the attack on the Azovstal steelworks. Putin thanked the minister for a “successful operation” in the port city. Shoigu told him that the Azovstal steelworks were still in the hands of Ukrainian fighters. He estimates their number at two thousand. The head of the Kremlin ordered the cancellation of the attack on Azovstal, calling it useless. Instead, he wants his “safe blockage” to continue. The step is justified by the interest in preserving the lives of Russian soldiers. “There is no reason to climb into these catacombs and crawl underground through these industrial facilities,” Putin said. “Block this industrial area so that not even a fly passes,” he ordered Shogu. Russia has repeatedly called on Ukrainian defenders to lay down their arms. Putin reiterated that he guaranteed them safety and fair treatment in such a case. According to the American television station CNN, Russian troops have taken over the city of Rubizne in the Luhansk region in eastern Ukraine. For several days now, the neighboring city of Kreminna has also been in control. CNN states on its website that it has located and verified the authenticity of videos from these cities, which appeared on social networks. However, he does not share them because the material was created by pro-Russian separatists and the Russian media. According to data from the city of Rubižna, which according to data from less than 56,800 people lived last year, it can be seen that its center and northern parts were largely destroyed. Russian soldiers and pro-Russian separatists move without restriction in the footage. In the city of Kreminna, which lies about eleven kilometers west of Rubizna, pro-Russian separatists have hoisted their and Russian flags on government buildings, CNN reports. The real attack is yet to come As early as Wednesday night, the governor of the Luhansk region, Serhiy Hajdaj, admitted that 80 percent of the region’s territory is under Russian occupation. The DPA recalls that before February 24, when Russia launched an invasion of Ukraine, pro-Russian separatists controlled about 30 percent of the Luhansk region, the so-called Luhansk People’s Republic. Russia has stepped up its attacks in eastern Ukraine in recent days, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announcing on Monday that “the battle for the Donbas has begun.” However, according to the head of the Ukrainian Security Council Oleksiya Danilov, Russian forces are conducting only “experimental operations” in the east of the country in order to test the Ukrainian defense. But when the “full-scale offensive” begins, he said is only a matter of time.