Russian army positions under fire from Mariupol, Volnovakha - Russian Defense Ministry

MOSCOW. March 5 (Interfax) - Russian army positions were attacked and a residential building was blown up in Mariupol after humanitarian corridors opened in Mariupol and Volnovakha, the Russian Defense Ministry said.

"The positions of the Russian Armed Forces were shelled from Mariupol at 10:08 a.m., and there was continuous firing from Volnovakha from 10:11 a.m. to 10:21 a.m.," Russian National Defense Control Center head Mikhail Mizintsev said.

"A residential building was blown up in Mariupol at 10:39 a.m., up to 200 people may be under the rubble, including elderly people and children," Mizintsev said.

Nationalists are preventing civilians from using humanitarian corridors, he said.

"As for Mariupol and Volnovakha, the Russian Federation fulfilled all conditions of the Ukrainian side in terms of time, route, and security. As a result, we received an operative pause for the nationalists to regroup and reinforce their positions in the said populated areas," Mizintsev said.