The Siege of Mariupol

On 24 February 2022, the President of Russia, Vladimir Putin, unleashed an attack on Ukraine that has developed into the most significant war in Europe since the Second World War. The opening phase of this war was when Russian armour, along with mechanized and airmobile troops, advanced on Kyiv, surrounded Chernihiv, seized Kherson twice, and threatened the very existence of the Ukrainian state. The Siege of Mariupol tells the story of the heroic resistance of the Ukrainians in defending the areas in and around the large coastal city of Mariupol. Situated in the Donetsk Oblast, Mariupol was one of the initial objectives of the Russian offensive. By 2 March, Putin’s forces had surrounded the city and a fierce struggle ensued, in which Russian artillery bombarded Mariupol resulting in heavy civilian casualties. Conditions in the city rapidly deteriorated as water and electricity supplies were cut and food shortages became severe. The 700,000 inhabitants faced a devastating and growing humanitarian crisis as the siege continued for week after week. Repeated attempts to evacuate the civilians failed, until 15 March when just 20,000 people were able to escape. Week after week the bitter fighting raged on. Towards the end, however, it was the events at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works that, to the whole world, came to define the dogged and determined Ukrainian defence. The plant became the heart of one of the main remaining pockets of resistance in Mariupol. Fiercely defended, it was described as a ‘fortress within a city’. The siege lasted until 20 May with the Russians finally taking control of the city. This book was written as the conflict ensued, giving it an unparalleled immediacy and poignancy. The Siege of Mariupol is an important historical document depicting the uncertainty and anxiety faced by the contesting forces and by the rest of the world as the war in Ukraine hung in the balance.

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