Mariupol blockade by DPR units nearly completed - Russian defense ministry

MOSCOW. Feb 28 (Interfax) - A group of troops from the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) have now almost blockaded the town of Mariupol, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"Units of DPR armed forces continue advancing, completing their blockade of Mariupol," the ministry's spokesman Igor Konashenkov told a briefing on Monday.

Meanwhile, a group of troops from the Luhansk People's Republic, with Russian fire support, "has successfully advanced 23 kilometers forward," seizing "control over the settlements of Nova Astrakhan and Borovenki," he said.