On Thursday, President Vladimir Putin declared victory in the Ukraine war’s biggest battle, calling Mariupol’s port “liberated” after over two months of siege, despite the presence of hundreds of defenders still holed up within a massive steel plant.
Ukraine claimed that Putin’s decision to avoid a final confrontation with its forces in the city was an admission that he lacked the military might to beat them.
“You were successful in liberating Mariupol through warfare. Let me express my congratulations to you on this occasion, and please give my best wishes to the military “In a televised meeting at the Kremlin, Putin told Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.
“The anticipated assault of the industrial zone is unnecessary in my opinion. I command that you cancel it “he stated “There’s no need to enter these dungeons or crawl through these industrial buildings underneath… Close off this industrial region to the point where not even a fly may pass.”
After days of urging its defenders to submit or perish, Putin’s choice not to raid the Azovstal steel factory allowed him to claim his first major victory since his soldiers were forced out of northern Ukraine last month. However, it falls short of the unmistakable victory Moscow craves after months of the terrible battle in a city reduced to ruins.
“They physically cannot seize Azovstal,” Ukrainian presidential adviser Oleksiy Arestovych told a conference. “They have realized this, and they have sustained enormous casualties there.” “Our defenders are still holding it.”
When asked about Putin’s decision, a representative for Ukraine’s defense ministry said it demonstrated his “schizophrenic inclinations.”
SUFFERING CIVILIANS
Mariupol, which formerly housed 400,000 people, has witnessed not only the war’s most violent battle but also its biggest humanitarian disaster, with hundreds of thousands of residents shut off for nearly two months by Russian siege and shelling.
During the siege, journalists discovered streets littered with bodies, practically all buildings destroyed, and residents sheltered in cellars, going out to cook scraps on makeshift stoves or bury victims in gardens.
The bombing of a maternity hospital and, a week later, of a theatre with hundreds of civilians in the basement became emblematic of what Kyiv and the West call Russian war crimes. Moscow denies targeting people and claims the incidents were staged, despite the lack of evidence.
Thousands of civilians are believed to have died in Mariupol, according to Ukraine. According to the report, some were buried in mass graves, while others were hauled from the streets and incinerated by Russian forces using mobile cremation vehicles. According to the UN and the Red Cross, the civilian death toll is yet unknown, although it is in the thousands.
Shoigu informed Putin that Russia has killed over 4,000 Ukrainian soldiers in its operation to retake Mariupol, with 1,478 surrendering. Those data were not able to be verified. Two of the surrendered soldiers are British.
Shoigu claimed that 2,000 Ukrainian forces remained inside Azovstal, Europe’s largest metallurgical complex, which spans 11 square kilometers and includes massive buildings, underground shelters, and tunnels.
Putin stated that they must relinquish their weapons and that Russia will treat them with respect.
Iryna Vereshchuk, Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, said 1,000 civilians and 500 wounded soldiers needed to be evacuated from the facility as soon as possible, blaming Russian forces for the failure to build a safe passage that had been agreed upon.
In humanitarian evacuations, Moscow claims to have taken in 140,000 inhabitants from the port city. According to Kyiv, some people were removed forcibly, which would be a war crime. Russia permitted some buses to leave the parts of Mariupol it controls on Wednesday, transporting roughly 100 people to other regions of Ukraine.
PUSH FOR DONBAS
Securing Mariupol would solidify the link between territory held by separatists backed by Russia in eastern Ukraine’s Donbas area and Crimea, which Moscow annexed in 2014.
After failing to conquer Kyiv last month and being forced to withdraw from northern Ukraine, Russia has regrouped and is set to start a big new offensive in the Donbas this week.
According to Arestovych, a Ukrainian presidential adviser, Moscow is refusing to raid the Azovstal complex in part because it wants to move some of its forces north for the offensive.
Russian forces have so far failed to entirely seize Rubizhne, a Donbas town that has been a focal point of their assault, according to Ukraine. The city of Kharkiv, which is located near Russian supply lines into Donbas, was heavily bombarded, according to its mayor.
Peace talks have been put on hold as both parties hope for victory on the battlefield in Donbas. Dmitry Peskov, a Kremlin spokesman, said Moscow was still waiting for Kyiv to respond to a proposal it had sent over; Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated on Wednesday that he had not seen or heard of any such paper.
Russian forces, according to British military intelligence, are eager to display substantial success by May 9, the anniversary of the Allies’ victory in Europe during World War II, when Russia’s military holds a grand parade on Red Square.
Russia’s involvement is described as a “special military operation” aimed at demilitarizing and “denazifying” Ukraine. That is a false excuse for an unlawful campaign of aggression, which Kyiv and its Western partners reject.
According to a US official, US President Joe Biden will give an update on Ukraine at 9:45 a.m. (1345 GMT) on Thursday as he attempts to finish a fresh arms package, which is expected to be comparable in size to the $800 million one revealed last week.
