Ukraine has declared an end to the battle for Mariupol, ceding control of the key port city to Russia after months of besiegement, devastation, and fighting back against Russian military forces, NBCN reports.
Ukraine ordered soldiers defending the very last pocket of Mariupol to stop fighting and to instead focus on evacuating troops from the Azovstal steel plant.
For months, a bloody struggle has raged on in the city that has come to be one of the main signifies of the brutality of Russia’s war, and the strength of Ukraine’s resistance.
Mariupol was a costly victory for Russia. Its military offensive continues to struggle, and its geopolitical position continues to weaken, according to analysts.
Mariupol was once home to 400,000 people. Now, it is mostly rubble. Relentless bombardments and weeks-long sieges killed tens of thousands of people and left the city in ruin.
Hundreds of Ukrainian soldiers defied an ultimatum to surrender and instead hulked out in the Azovstal steelworks in a last-ditch defense. They lasted for more than two months.
But on Monday, the General Staff of Ukraine’s Armed Forces said that the garrison had now “fulfilled its combat mission,” and that Ukraine needed to focus on saving the soldiers’ lives rather than having them fight.
So far more than 260 soldiers have been evacuated from the steelworks. About 50 are seriously wounded and were taken to Russian-controlled territory. Ukraine hopes to exchange them for Russian prisoners of war.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said that it was a “difficult day,” but that it was aimed precisely at protecting the people and the country of Ukraine.
The Ukrainian military statement said that the Ukrainian soldiers did not make their stand in vain, because they slowed the progress of about 20,000 Russian troops, therefore preventing the quick capture of the northwest city Zaporizhzhia.
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