The siege of Mariupol has, by all accounts, hosted the ugliest scenes of the war in Ukraine so far. Reliable information from the front lines is limited as always, but there is general agreement that there have been thousands of casualties in and around the vital port city. As the war approaches its third week it appears that time is running out for the beleaguered city, where Ukrainian fighters continue to hold out in an increasingly hopeless position.
Siege of Mariupol drags on
Mariupol has been fully encircled by Russian and separatist forces since the beginning of March; this encirclement was a high priority for the Russians, who made an early amphibious landing to the west of the city.
The city is located in the Donetsk Oblast and claimed by the Russian-aligned Donetsk People’s Republic. Separatists captured the city in 2014 but were soon forced to abandon it during a Ukrainian counterattack.
That counterattack was one of the first important successes for Ukrainian forces in the Donbass war, particularly for the controversial Azov Battalion, which made its name in the battle and has had a strong presence in the city ever since.
Mariupol thus has great strategic and symbolic importance for both sides. Its capture would give Russia full control over Ukraine’s coastline on the Sea of Azov.
Russian forces have been slowly but surely forcing their way into the city, supported by artillery and airstrikes that have reportedly caused heavy civilian casualties.
Repeated efforts have been made to evacuate civilians, but the Ukrainians say that the Russians continue to shell the city during ceasefires and the Russians accuse the Ukrainians of preventing the civilians from leaving so that they can be used as human shields.
Ukrainians refuse to surrender
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense has admitted that it can do nothing to relieve the siege; Kiev’s only advice to the city is to hold out for as long as possible.
Ukraine also says that the Russians refused to allow an aid convoy to pass through their lines and enter the city, where the current situation is described as a humanitarian disaster.
The point of siege warfare is to force the enemy to surrender by cutting them off from food, fuel, ammunition, and other essential supplies. Russia refusing to allow aid deliveries would be unsurprising given their objectives.
Russia resorted to methodically besieging major Ukrainian cities after the resistance proved to be stiffer than expected; Kharkov, Odessa, Zaporizhzhia, and Kiev may all experience the same fate as Mariupol.
In most cases, a city under siege which is told that no relief is possible is expected to surrender. The regular Ukrainian military might be inclined to make this decision, but the Azov Battalion may very well choose to fight to the death.
The fall of Mariupol now appears to be inevitable, but there is no telling how many more lives will be lost before the fighting finally comes to an end.
