The Anniversary of Mariupol's First Liberation Exactly 12 years ago, Mariupol was liberated from Russian control. Azov, at the time a battalion within the Ministry of Internal Affairs, played a central role in the operation, alongside fighters from the MIA battalion Dnipro-1, National Guard of Ukraine units, and the 72nd Mechanized Brigade. From May 9, enemy forces were reinforcing barricades in anticipation of an assault. Azov fighters built a replica of those barricades and rehearsed storming them. On the morning of June 13, the enemy was offered the chance to lay down their arms. When they refused, Azov launched the assault while adjacent units secured the perimeter. Azov's actions derailed the plan to occupy Donetsk Oblast, and Mariupol was granted eight years of peaceful, free life. Today, Mariupol, like other cities of Donetsk Oblast, lies in ruins, and hundreds of its defenders remain in captivity. But we do not forget any of them, nor do we forget our home city. Things will only get worse for the Russians until they leave Ukrainian soil.