Russian President Vladimir Putin on Thursday ordered his armed forces to hermetically seal the Azovstal steel factory in Mariupol, the last seat of resistance in the city on the Sea of Azov, so that “no fly” can get through. Putin also ordered that he refrain from storming the factory.
At the same time, he claimed that Russia has taken the city, which has been fought over for almost two months. Russia had previously announced that it would hold a military parade in the city on May 9 – Russia’s Victory Day.
The Ukrainian side pointed out that the city has not fallen, precisely because the steel factory has not yet been taken. Yet that seems only a matter of time. If Russia manages to seal off the factory, supplies will dwindle and the last bastion will eventually have to give in.
Strategic importance
The steel factory on the water is an immense complex. The site measures more than ten square kilometers above ground. Underground, Ukrainian fighters and hundreds of civilians are said to have entrenched themselves in an extensive network of tunnels. The industrial installations were heavily damaged by the fighting.
Mariupol is important for the Russian war effort because the capture of the city creates a corridor between the illegally annexed Crimea and the separatist areas in the more northerly Donbas.
Also read: Russia changes tactics with offensive in Donbas
In addition, an ‘intake’ is a good thing for Putin, because it will finally allow him to celebrate a success. The city is not only strategically important, but also plays a role in Russian propaganda. Mariupol is home to Ukraine’s far-right Azov Brigade. Taking the city thus provides the Kremlin with an opportunity to underline the rather vague and richly absurd claim that the war is intended to “denazify” Ukraine. By ordering not to storm the complex, Putin also tried to present himself to his own public as a general with a sense of responsibility.
The toll paid by the city for its central location must be enormous. Kiev says the city has been virtually destroyed and at least 20,000 civilians have been killed.
Symbol Ukrainian resistance
The hotly contested steel factory has become a symbol of Ukrainian resistance, partly due to all the attention from foreign media. Svjatoslav Palamara, deputy commander of the Azov brigade, called in a video message on Wednesday to guarantee military and civilians a safe retreat from the complex. Five hundred wounded were entrenched. The commander acknowledged that the situation is fairly hopeless: the opponent had a superior force of ten to one.
Efforts have been made to evacuate civilians in recent days. On Wednesday, according to Kiev, four buses were able to leave the city.
Also read how an agreement was reached on Wednesday on a humanitarian corridor in Mariupol
According to the daily battlefield bulletin from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), Russia has been carrying out heavy attacks, complete with close air support and artillery shelling, since the attack on the Donbas was announced over the weekend, but the command structures and logistics centers needed for a heavier offensive. Russia has not yet been able to achieve any breakthroughs.
Meanwhile, foreign aid continues to flow into Ukraine. The US announced on Thursday that it would provide an additional $500 million in economic aid and $800 million in weapons, on top of last week’s $800 million. This brings total economic aid to $1 billion and military aid to more than $3 billion since the Russian invasion on February 24.
A version of this article also appeared in NRC in the morning of April 22, 2022