Kosarev on Ukrainian Forces in Mariupol: "They Used Scorched Earth Tactics"

In Mariupol on April 21. Roman Kosarev, while talking about humanitarian aid, pauses to explain the loud sounds of shelling.

"As you can see, shelling is still continuing. It's taking place at Azovstal (Steel) Plant, where the rest of the Nazi & Ukrainian forces are holed up."

He spoke of President Putin's decision not to storm the plant, rather to perform airstrikes, first having given the Nazi & Ukrainian forces time to lay down their weapons & surrender.

We spoke of the destroyed apartment buildings around us, noting it wasn't wanton devastation for the sake of destruction but, again, because Ukrainian & Nazi forces had occupied them.

"One thing I heard from locals here is that when Nationalist Battalions or Ukrainian Forces--they can't really distinguish between the two, and Azov was made a part of the Ukrainian army recently, so how to tell them apart was once they show their tattoos, swastikas...

They entered people's buildings, set up their weapons there & started shooting at the oncoming Russian and Donetsk People's Republic armies. So the other side was forced to respond, obviously. People were forced to lower floors & basements, so basically they were used as human shields by the Ukrainians. And as they were retreating, they would continue bombing the houses."

I asked if, as terrorists did in Syria, Ukrainian forces laid booby traps & mines to kill more civilians.
[See: https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2014/07/08/liberated-homs-residents-challenge-notion-of-revolution/ ]
[See also: https://ingaza.wordpress.com/2017/10/08/syria-war-diary-order-returns-to-western-cities-civilians-recount-horrors-of-rebel-rule/ ]

"Yes, booby traps, mining everything. They're using scorched earth tactics."

Source: Eva K Bartlett