Ukrainian national flag, military helmet and medical documents are seen on a table in a destroyed part of the Ilyich Metallurgical Plant, in an area controlled by Russian-backed separatist forces in Mariupol, Ukraine, Monday, April 18, 2022. Alexei Alexandrov / Associated Press
Russian President Vladimir Putin tried to claim victory in the strategic port of Mariupol on Thursday, even when he ordered his troops not to storm the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance on the country’s iconic battlefield.
Russian troops have besieged the southeastern city since the first days of the conflict and have largely shattered it – and senior officials have repeatedly said it is about to fall, but Ukrainian forces have held on. In recent weeks, they have been hiding in a sprawling steel plant, with Russian forces hitting an industrial site and repeatedly issuing ultimatums ordering defenders to surrender.
“The completion of the military work to liberate Mariupol has been successful,” Putin said. “Taking control of such an important center in the south as Mariupol is a success.
But the Russian leader said he would not risk sending troops into the maze of tunnels under the giant Azovstal plant for now, instead preferring to isolate the stubborn ones who have caught the world’s attention, “so that not even a fly can pass through it.” His defense minister said the plant was blocked, while giving another prediction that the site could be taken over in days.
Putin’s order could mean that Russian authorities hope they can wait for defenders to surrender after running out of food or ammunition. The bombing of the plant could continue.
Although Putin has already described the mission to capture Mariupol as successful and said the city was “liberated” until the plant collapsed, he could not declare a complete victory.
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said about 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers remained in the plant, which has a maze of tunnels and bunkers that stretch for about 11 square kilometers (4 square miles). Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 1,000 civilians were also trapped.
Russia-backed separatists in the region have previously seemed willing to take every inch of the city, which has witnessed some of the most dramatic battles of the war and whose conquest has both strategic and symbolic significance.
The scale of the suffering in the city of the Sea of Azov has made it a focal point worldwide and its final fall will deprive Ukraine of a vital port, complete the land bridge between Russia and the Crimean peninsula, which Moscow captured in 2014, and free Russian targets. troops to move elsewhere in the Donbass.
MURAT YUKSELIR / GLOSS AND POST, SOURCE: GRAPHIC NEWS
Now Russian authorities say the conquest of Donbass, Ukraine’s eastern industrial heart, is the main goal of the war. This week, Moscow forces opened a new phase of the war, in a deadly movement along the front from the northeastern city of Kharkov to the Sea of Azov. Separating the region from the rest of Ukraine will give Putin a much-needed victory two months after the war, following a failed attempt to storm the capital, Kyiv, amid growing Russian losses.
Britain’s defense ministry says Russia probably wants to show significant success ahead of Victory Day on May 9, the proudest moment in the annual calendar, marking its critical role in winning World War II.
“This could affect how quickly and violently they try to carry out operations on the eve of this date,” the ministry said.
Retired British Rear Admiral Chris Paris describes Putin’s remarks as reflecting a change in “operational approach” as Russia tries to learn from its failures in the eight-week conflict, which turned from initial hopes of a neighbor’s swift invasion to a war of exhaustion casualties and costs.
“It seems to me that Russia’s agenda now is not to take these really difficult places where Ukrainians can stay in urban centers, but to try to take over territory, and also to surround Ukrainian forces and declare a great victory.” , Money I said.
Meanwhile, Western powers are doubling their support for Ukraine, moving to more military hardware, boosting geopolitical stakes.
The latest in a long line of Western leaders heading to Kyiv, Danish Prime Minister Mete Frederiksen said on Thursday: “One of the most important messages today is that Denmark is considering sending more weapons. That’s what’s needed. “
Several Western officials have promised the same in recent days.
With growing global tensions, Russia announced the first successful launch of a new type of Sarmat intercontinental ballistic missile on Wednesday. Putin boasted that he could overcome any missile defense system and make those who threaten Russia “think twice.” The head of Russia’s state aerospace agency called the northern launch a “gift to NATO.”
The Pentagon described the test as “routine” and said it was not considered a threat.
On the battlefield, Ukraine said Moscow continued to carry out attacks in the east, investigating weaknesses in Ukraine’s defensive lines. Russia has said it has carried out hundreds of missile and air strikes on targets involving concentrations of troops and vehicles.
The Kremlin’s stated goal is to take over Donbass, a predominantly Russian-speaking eastern region home to coal mines, metal plants and heavy equipment factories.
In a video address, Zelensky said the Russians “do not abandon their attempts to celebrate at least some kind of victory by launching a new, large-scale offensive.”
The governor of Luhansk said Russian forces control 80 percent of his region, which is one of the two that make up Donbass. Prior to Russia’s invasion on February 24, the Kyiv government controlled 60% of the Luhansk region.
Analysts say the offensive in the east could turn into a war of attrition as Russia faces Ukraine’s most experienced, battle-hardened troops fighting pro-Moscow separatists in Donbass for eight years.
Russia has said it has presented Ukraine with a draft document outlining its demands for an end to the conflict, days after Putin said talks were deadlocked.
Moscow has long urged Ukraine to withdraw any bid to join NATO. Ukraine has said it will agree to this in exchange for security guarantees from other countries. Other sources of tension include the status of both the Crimean peninsula, seized by Moscow in 2014, and eastern Ukraine, where separatists have declared independent republics recognized by Russia.
Russia launched its long-awaited total attack on eastern Ukraine on April 19th, freeing thousands of troops in what Ukraine described as the Battle of Donbass, a campaign to capture two provinces and save victory on the battlefield. Louisa Nax has more.
Reuters
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