Despite having almost complete control of the city of Mariupol, President Putin still directed the Russian military not to attack Azovstal, but to use other measures to avoid damage due to the huge system of tunnels under the plant. this.
President Putin instructed not to attack
Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu announced on April 21 that the city of Mariupol was fully controlled by the Russian side. However, he also said that there are still Ukrainian troops besieged at the Azovstal steel plant.
Khói bốc lên tại nhà máy Azovstal. (Ảnh: Sputnik).
“During the liberation of the city, more than 4,000 soldiers were destroyed, 1,478 surrendered,” Shoigu said. The other group, about more than 2,000 people, is being blocked in the industrial zone of the Azovstal factory. According to him, the operation to attack the factory will take from 3 to 4 days.
Shoigu also added that 140,000 people had been evacuated from Mariupol, and that the hostages in the port area, including the crew of the ships that were docked, were rescued by Russian and Donbass forces. .
President Vladimir Putin congratulated the Russian military, but at the same time stressed that attacking factories and tunnels was unreasonable. Mr. Putin suggested that Russian forces should tightly encircle the industrial zone.
During the attack on the city of Mariupol, Russia repeatedly denounced the war crimes committed by Ukrainian forces in the city, including taking hostages and using civilians as human shields. In contrast, Ukraine accused Russia of massively shelling Mariupol, causing the city to be almost completely destroyed.
Thành phố Mariupol bị bom đạn tàn phá, ngày 19/4/2022. (Ảnh: Reuters).
Why not attack?
According to Telegraph, the Azovstal factory is an industrial complex from the Soviet era, described as a “city within a city” by its huge underground system of tunnels and shelters.
The complex covers an area of 11 square kilometers, and from a distance looks like a sleeping dragon, with huge chimneys, a factory, and an iron furnace.
According to Telegraph, at least about 1,000 civilians were sheltering here when Russian forces attacked the “last stronghold” of Ukrainian forces in the city of Mariupol.
Western officials fear the attack will be “worse than Bucha”. Bucha is a suburban town in the city of Kiev, where Ukraine and the West accuse Russia of committing war crimes and killing hundreds of civilians. Russia has denied the allegations.
The factory was rebuilt by the Soviet Union after it was completely destroyed by the Nazis, with the goal of creating a bomb shelter so deep it could withstand a nuclear explosion.
Khu phức hợp Azovstal rộng 11 km2 và có hệ thống đường hầm trú bom hạt nhân. (Ảnh: Maxar Technologies. Việt hóa: Minh Quang).
Yan Gagin, an adviser to the separatist republic of Donetsk, said in a recent interview with Russian state media: “Basically Azovstal’s underground system is a miniature city.”
The drone images explain why attacking Azovstal has become such a big challenge for Russia. The bridge connecting to the factory was destroyed, while the road was filled with destroyed vehicles.
The industrial zone has a high density of construction with dozens of buildings that could become the site of an ambush by the Ukrainian side. Many buildings were destroyed by shells and bombs.
Giant tunnel
Analysts say the huge tunnel system underneath the Azovstal is really a nightmare for the Russian military.
“Russia could try, but they will be slaughtered by the Ukrainians inside the bunker who have the absolute tactical advantage,” said Alexander Grinberg, an analyst at the Jerusalem Institute for Strategy and Security.
Ukrainian officials say Russia is considering using bunker bombs, a weapon commonly used to attack military installations deep underground.
Bom phá boongke BETAB-500 đã được Nga sử dụng tại chiến trường Syria. (Ảnh: Sputnik).
The final battle between Ukraine and Russia at Azovstal has been compared to the clash at the Stalingrad Tractor factory during World War II. Thousands of Nazi and Soviet soldiers were killed trying to gain control of this factory on the banks of the Volga River.
Taking Azovstal and taking full control of Mariupol would be an important victory for Moscow because the city lies between the land corridor from the Donbass region to the Crimean peninsula.
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