First victory in war. Twelve years ago, Azov, leading Ukrainian forces, liberated Mariupol On June 13, 2014, Ukraine gained its first major victory in the war with Russia. Mariupol was liberated by forces from the newly formed "Azov" Battalion, two companies of the "Dnipro-1" Battalion, special forces from the Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the 79th Separate Airborne Brigade. 5 197 26 Previously in trend: Liberation of Ukrainian territories