Stop attacking the Mariupol Azov Steel Plant, the Decision of the Russian side made both inside and outside feel very sudden. On 22 April, the Azov Battalion, the Foreign Volunteer Battalion, and the remnants of the 36th Marine Brigade of the Ukrainian Army, who were surrounded by the Azov Steel Plant, were as full of happiness as if they had been pulled back from a state of near death. AAzov battalion militants posted a video of their all-night revelry in the tunnels of the Azov steel plant on social platforms on the night of the 21st. In the eyes of these stubborn Una militants, the Decision of the Russian Coalition to stop attacking the Azov Steel Works Industrial Park was a victory won by the Azov Battalion's insistence on resistance. Moreover, the Russian side clearly stated that it was not willing to let the soldiers make senseless sacrifices, so as not to let the soldiers enter the underground tunnel to search for the militants of the Azov battalion, which also made the remnants of more than 2,000 Ukrainian troops led by the Azov battalion mistakenly believe that the Russian coalition army was afraid of them.
There is no doubt that the intricate, winding tunnels of twenty or thirty kilometers, divided into six layers and 30 meters underground, are a dangerous test for any army. According to the Ukrainian army, the tunnel network of the Azov Iron and Steel Plant includes two parts, the historical legacy and the pre-war excavation and construction of the Azov battalion, with watertight doors and airtight doors that can resist water, fire and chemical gas attacks, and there is also a key nuclear explosion protection module in the depths, which can withstand external nuclear explosion strikes. To use a Chinese idiom, it is 'impregnable'. The Russian side should have a certain understanding of the underground defense system that existed in the history of the Mariupol Azov Iron and Steel Plant, so the decision to "not allow coalition fighters to enter the underground tunnels to search and suppress operations" is humane and objective.
Several coalition forces, including Chechen Guards units, which had been involved in the Battle of Mariupol since the 11th of last month, withdrew in an orderly manner from the outer positions of the Azov Steel Works in batches on the afternoon of 21 April, and all their personnel and equipment marched in the direction of Ijum in the north. The forces that remained responsible for continuing to encircle the recalcitrant enemy at Azov SteelWorks, including russian naval infantry and THE DPR militia, still had an absolute overwhelming advantage over the remnants of the Azov Battalion in terms of size and equipment firepower. According to the Plan of the Russian Coalition, the Coalition forces remaining in the encirclement of the Asian Steel Works would complete absolute control of the entire region within three to four days. Russian journalists said that since the 22nd, there has been a "period of silence in firepower" every day, and the Ukrainian troops in the encirclement have been allowed to surrender and withdraw.
For the remnants of the Ukrainian Aszov battalion in the underground tunnel system of the Azov Iron and Steel Plant, being chased and beaten for more than 40 days, although it is the end of the road, can get a temporary safe hiding place and rest period, which is also a reason to be thankful and self-comforting. Now, as long as they stay in the underground tunnels or go up to the ground and are not detected by coalition drones, they are safe. Speaking of this, there is a question that almost everyone is interested in, that is, if the Russian coalition army has always adopted the strategy of "encircling but not attacking", how long can the remnants of the 2,000-strong Ukrainian army led by the Azov battalion last at the Azov Steel Plant? It is now certain that there is an ammunition depot in the underground tunnel of the Azov Steel Works, so that the Azov battalion will not be worried about ammunition shortages.
The NPR commander on the outskirts of the Azov Steel Plant said that at present, the personnel and firepower equipment of the coalition forces are deployed on the outer edge line of one kilometer outside the steel plant, and a complete and solid fire strike and anti-breakout position has been formed. Ensure that Ukrainian troops are found to be active on the ground in the steel mill area and fire them, and that no Azov militant is allowed to escape from the encirclement. The ANSWER OF THE DPR TROOPS TO THE QUESTION OF WHEN TO END THE BATTLE AT AESSO STEEL PLANT WAS RATHER OPTIMISTIC: THE AZOV STEEL PLANT'S REMNANTS WOULD HOLD OUT FOR AT MOST TWO WEEKS BECAUSE THE FOOD DEPOT AT ASZOV STEEL PLANT HAD BEEN COMPLETELY DESTROYED. In the next two weeks, the Ukrainian army will be in a trend of gradually becoming hungry after eating one less meal. According to the medical officer (deputy brigade commander) of the 36th Marine Brigade of the surrendered Ubrad, the brigade lost 700 people due to the lack of medicines, so the Azov battalion wanted to survive in the tunnels and not only solve the problem of starvation.