LVIV, Ukraine (AP) – Under relentless bombing and a Russian blockade, the key port of Mariupol is sustained, but a shortage of weapons and supplies could weaken resistance, thwarting plans to invade the Kremlin.
More than six weeks after the Russian siege began, Ukrainian troops continue to fight extremely superior Russian forces in fierce battles amid the ruins of the once bustling city of the Sea of Azov.
The mayor says about 120,000 people remain in the city, out of Mariupol’s pre-war population of about 450,000.
The battle of the Ukrainians thwarted Moscow’s projects, uniting significant Russian forces and delaying the planned offensive in the industrial center of eastern Ukraine, Donbass. The Kremlin hopes an attack in the east could reverse Russia’s fate on the battlefield after a humiliating failure to storm the capital, Kyiv.
Mariupol has been a key target for Russia since the invasion began on February 24. The takeover of the city will allow Moscow to create a land corridor to the Ukrainian peninsula of Crimea, which Russia annexed in 2014, and deprive Ukraine of a major port and valuable industrial assets.
The giant Azovstal steel plant and other plants were severely damaged by Russian bombing, which leveled much of Mariupol, hitting homes, hospitals and other public buildings indiscriminately and killing thousands.
The victims include about 300 people killed in a Russian air strike last month against the Mariupol Drama Theater, which was used as a shelter and had the words “CHILDREN” in Russian in huge white letters on the sidewalk outside to prevent an air attack.
Mayor Vadim Boychenko told the Associated Press that at least 21,000 people had been killed in Mariupol with bodies “laid out in the streets”. He said the Russians had deployed mobile cremation equipment to dispose of the bodies methodically, to hide evidence of the massacre and to prevent international organizations from documenting “the horror for which the Russian army is responsible”.
The discovery in the suburbs of Kyiv of hundreds of bodies of civilians, some of whom were tied up after withdrawing from the area, fueled global outrage and accusations from Ukrainians and the West that Russia was committing war crimes in Ukraine.
Moscow has sent Chechen fighters known for their ferocity to fight street battles in Mariupol. Chechen leader Ramzan Kadyrov, backed by Moscow, has repeatedly boasted on his channel in his report that he defeated the Ukrainians in Mariupol, but the battle continues.
Boychenko said several Ukrainian units are still fighting in Mariupol, including the 36th Marine Brigade, Interior Ministry troops, border guards and the Azov National Guard regiment, which Russia identifies as a specific villain because of its far-right ideology.
Regiment Azov, an experienced volunteer detachment considered one of the most combat-ready parts of the country, is defending the Azovstal plant, which covers an area of nearly 11 square kilometers (over 4.2 square miles). He took advantage of the plant’s scattered network of concrete buildings and underground facilities to repel the ongoing Russian attacks.
The 36th Marine Brigade maintained defensive positions at the Azovmash and Ilicha plants until supplies and ammunition ran out and made a desperate attempt to break through the Russian blockade earlier this week.
In a post on the brigade’s Facebook page, one of its officers described how “for more than a month, the Marines have been fighting without refilling ammunition, food and water.”
“The wounded make up almost half of the brigade’s strength, but those who still had limbs and were able to walk are returning to duty,” the statement said.
Boychenko said some of the Marines had managed to join the Azov Regiment, while others had been captured by the Russians. He did not give any figures.
The Russian military said Thursday that a total of 1,160 Ukrainian Marines surrendered this week, a claim that cannot be confirmed independently.
As Ukrainian troops continue to put up fierce resistance in Mariupol, fears have risen that angry Russians could resort to chemical weapons to deal with remaining outbreaks of resistance at the Azovstal plant and other areas of the city.
Eduard Basurin, an ally of Russia’s separatist official in eastern Ukraine, appears to have called for this on Monday, telling Russian state television that Russian-backed forces should block all exits from the factory and then “use chemical troops to smoke them.” from there. “He later said no chemical weapons were used.
Regiment Azov said on Monday, without providing evidence, that the drone had released a poisonous substance on its positions, but did not cause serious injuries. A Ukrainian defense official said the attack may have involved phosphorus munitions.
Ukrainian authorities say the Russians have blocked humanitarian convoys from reaching Mariupol, keeping it without food, water or electricity since the siege began. Russian troops returned buses sent to evacuate residents, but about 150,000 managed to escape the city in their own vehicles.
Boychenko said at least 33,500 and possibly up to 50,000 Mariupol residents had been taken to “filtration camps” in the separatist-controlled east before being forcibly sent to remote, economically depressed areas of Russia.
Communications have been cut off since the siege of Mariupol began, and as the Russians move to take over parts of the city, they broadcast radio broadcasts to brainwash the population.
“They unleashed propaganda, telling people that Kyiv and other cities have been taken over and abandoned,” Boychenko said.
The ongoing fighting forced the Russian military to detain a significant number of troops in the city, delaying the eastern offensive.
“While the street fighting continues, Russia cannot withdraw troops from Mariupol and deploy them to other areas, including Donbass,” Oleg Zhdanov, an independent military expert, told the AP.
“Ukrainian troops in Mariupol are still fulfilling their main task of diverting Russian forces from other areas. Mariupol remains a major symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
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