At present, the left bank area of Mariupol has been completely controlled by the Russian army and the DPR coalition, which is the most significant local victory achieved by the Russian army in more than two weeks of siege of Mariupol.
On the night of March 16, more than 3,000 Mariupol refugees, under the protection of the Russian army, were safely evacuated to the safety zone controlled by the DPR. A large number of civilians were rescued and evacuated, allowing the Russians to free their hands and feet in the attack. For the Russians, it was only a matter of time before Mariupol was taken, because the Ukrainian defenders and the Nazi forces in the Azov battalion in this isolated city would never be able to get foreign aid. But that doesn't mean the battle will be easy, and the Azov battalion remains the biggest obstacle to the Russians winning the Battle of Mariupol.
Russian troops and THE DPR were advancing towards the center of Mariupol, and front-line war reports said that THE DPR was clearing the Livo Berezhini area, but encountered massive resistance from the Ukrainian army and the Azov battalion, and suffered several setbacks in the Zhhof Tenevi neighborhood. However, the DPR Special Forces achieved great success in the direction of the Mariupol Police Academy.
Reality shows that there can be no blind optimism about the timetable for the capture of Mariupol.
Military experts said that as long as Mariupol is taken to completely close the Sea of Azov, the Russian army will have an extra powerful chip in the negotiations with Ukraine, and more importantly, it can strike at the will and confidence of the enemy. To this end, the Russian side concentrated elite forces in Mariupol, including the Chechen force "Northern Battalion", the SS0 Special Forces, and the GRU "Eastern Battalion".
In front-line reports in the previous days, the performance of the Russian Chechen Guards troops was quite glamorous, especially in the siege and annihilation of the Azov Sea Iron and Steel Plant in Mariupol, where a stubborn enemy of the Azov battalion was completely annihilated and the infamous leader of the Azov battalion was killed, the "Crow". But behind this victory there are also fatal tactical mistakes that deserve the reflection of the Russian army.
According to a Russian media reporter, after the attack on the left bank area of Mariupol began, the reconnaissance commando team of the 141st Chechen Special Mobile Regiment (Northern Battalion), which was responsible for reconnaissance and guidance operations, penetrated quickly, but was unexpectedly bitten back by the Azov battalion, and all fell into the dead ground and were trapped for three days. Reconnaissance commandos are lightly armored units, and although the quality of personnel is high, the firepower is difficult to last. Repeated calls from militants in the Azov battalion for their surrender were refused.
The Chechen 141st Special Maneuver Regiment and the DPR organized forces to rescue them, but they have not been successful. The Russian Front Command ordered the GRU special forces "Eastern Battalion" to urgently develop a combat plan for fireline rescue.
The famous Soviet troops had their own "battle slogan", and the battle slogan of the GRU was "only the stars can't reach" (other tasks are OK). The GRU special forces always lived up to expectations, and the "Eastern Battalion" coordinated the peripheral forces with the trapped Chechen commandos against the Azov battalion, and launched an internal and external attack to break the encirclement of the Azov battalion.
The fleeing Azov battalion spread the news that they had killed a major general in the special forces of the 22nd Brigade of the GRU in the battle, while destroying 2 Temphoon-K armored vehicles, 2 Tiger armored vehicles and 3 BTR-82A armored vehicles.
For the Russians, it was of great significance to take Mariupol, the home of the Azov battalion. Because the so-called "Azov battalion" is not just a battalion, but a real "Azov regiment". Currently, the Azov Regiment has two battalions in Mariupol, two in Kiev and two in Kharkiv.
The Russians were currently facing two Azov battalions in Mariupol and two battalions in Kharkiv. Tactically, the removal of the Azov battalion lair in Mariupol was quite advantageous to the ongoing annihilation battle in Kharkov.
At the crucial moment, Chechen leader Kadyrov encouraged his fighters: "Mariupol is actually under the control of the Russian army. Nazi forces in the Azov battalion still existed, and resistance was particularly strengthened. But soon they will be dating their idol Bandera, who will burn in hell together."