The Bitter Battle of Mariupol – The Eye of the Typhoon in the Battle of Russia and Ukraine
When the typhoon is raging, the center is actually a similar hollow existence. The Russian and Ukrainian armies have been fighting bitterly for a week in the small coastal city of Mariupol on the Sea of Azov, and recently established a "humanitarian passage" for the safe evacuation of residents through the agreement reached between the two sides. At one point, the two sides declared a five-hour ceasefire, giving the civilian population threatened by the war in the city a respite. It was also the first time since the conflict broke out on February 24 that the two sides had reached a ceasefire agreement, even if partial.
Residents of Mariupol who took advantage of the armistice to evacuate.
In the second round of Talks between Russia and Ukraine, the Ukrainian side focused on the establishment of humanitarian security channels for the cities where the fighting took place, and the first point they mentioned was in Mariupol. The Russian offensive against Mariupol has been fought since the beginning of the war, but the heavy attack was launched on March 1.
The Russians briefly announced the capture of Mariupol on March 2, followed by a Counter-Offensive by the Ukrainians, announcing on March 3 that the city had not been lost and that it was "only partially under siege", and then released news and photos of the repulsion of the Russian attack in the news. In the battle for this place, both sides used almost all means, from tanks to rifles, and the continuous fighting exhausted both sides for several days.
The establishment of humanitarian access for the inhabitants of the war zone can be regarded as the only consensus reached between Russia and Ukraine in the second negotiation. According to the representative of Ukraine, although the Russian side agreed to the principle of establishing humanitarian corridors in the negotiations, perhaps because both sides killed the red eye at Mariupol, there was a fierce debate at the meeting, and no concrete steps were reached. Fortunately, after the talks, the two sides worked hard to promote the channel.
The city, which was almost reduced to rubble, seems to have become the eye of the typhoon in the war.
Unfortunately, after a brief ceasefire, fighting around Mariupol resumed, and the residents failed in both attempts to evacuate. Russia and Ukraine blamed each other, insisting that the other was responsible for breaking the ceasefire.
Speaking of hearing "Mariupol" on the news these days, some people ask: Where is Mariupol?
Mariupol is a small city of 150,000 people located in southeastern Ukraine, near the Russian border on the side of the Sea of Azov, surrounded by mountains and seas, beautiful scenery and strategic ports along the coast of the Sea of Azov. The previous week had become a battlefield where the Russian and Ukrainian armies were desperately fighting.
If it weren't for the War between Russia and Ukraine, you probably wouldn't know the name of the city of Mariupol for the rest of your life. Although the Ukrainian side also acknowledges Russia's overwhelming superiority in troops, it seems that it has no intention of giving up.
This is Ukraine's report that in the process of its recovery of Mariupol, an armored vehicle of unknown nationality was destroyed and burned into a pile of scrap iron.
Why did the armies of the two countries fight and die for such a small city, and neither of them would let go?
Some people believe that because the Ukrainian Azov battalion, which Russia deeply hates, is also called the "genocide of the Russians in the Donbass region", the two sides can be described as having a deep hatred and are doomed to die. But this is probably only one reason.
On 1 March, the Russian southern front troops attacked north from the Crimean Peninsula, the Western Route Army captured Kherson, the Middle Route Army attacked Melitopol, then Zaporizhia, the Eastern Route Army occupied Biryansk and then captured Mariupol, meeting the Russian divisions in Donbass.
If you look at the map, you may understand that the change of hands in this small city of Azov may change the strategic situation of the entire Russian-Ukrainian southern front battlefield. The Russian attack on it was carried out at the same time as the attack on Kherson and Zaporizhia, and the three major armies pointed to the northwest, east-north, and northeast of Crimea, respectively. As can be seen, the three cities, from left to right, form a skirt-like base in the northern part of the Crimean Peninsula.
For Crimea, which Russia took control of in 2014, this area is like a sword of Damocles over the peninsula, where Ukraine has a large number of troops and has built dams to cut off water supply to Crimea, making it difficult for Russia to feel at ease about the safety of the peninsula. By capturing these three cities, the Russians could create a buffer zone for the Crimean Peninsula to the north, of which Mariupol was the most important.
Mariupol, on the shores of the Sea of Azov, is the last support point for Ukrainian control between Donbass and the Crimea region after the fall of Kherson and Zaporizhia, as long as it is taken, the Russian army's "Crimean Security Corridor" will be completely opened, and for military operations in Ukraine, it will also get a tangible result, so that the Black Sea Fleet on the Crimean Peninsula can establish security ties with Russia itself from land, no longer an orphan of the Black Sea.
If the Ukrainians had taken control of this area, they could have attracted a large number of Russian troops here (at least two and a half divisions), like "broken pants and legs", so that the opponent could not draw troops to form a north-south attack with the Russian northern group in Kharkiv. In fact, a local counteroffensive had been launched against Ukraine in the direction of Kharkov, and the Russians were in dire need of support for a response on the southern front. This is a great constraint for the Russian army, which is eager to make a breakthrough on the battlefield. Moreover, Mariupol is surrounded by mountains and rivers, easy to defend and difficult to attack, and the Ukrainian side will not give up easily.
Now, the rest of the Russian offensive has been basically knocked down, only Mariupol has not been captured, like a bone stuck in the throat, so that the Russian army can not escape to other battlefields, the gains and losses of this small city have become more and more eye-catching.
Because of the lone enemy, from a strategic point of view, it should be more difficult for the Ukrainian army to hold the city, but recently in the area of Nikolayev, the Ukrainian army recaptured the airfield, and it seems that there is also the determination and intention to help Mariupol. This is a double-edged sword, both sides of this place are Russian troops, if you are not careful, you will form a situation of sending troops into the encirclement of the Russian army, and the Ukrainian army also has some rat traps.
It seems that the fighting in this area is likely to be a stalemate war, and its outcome will affect the entire war situation in Ukraine.
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