The Azovstal iron and steel plant, one of Europe’s largest metallurgical plants, has become a revelation for the Ukrainian forces beyond arms, it is numerical and encircled seven weeks after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. East of the southern port, which has been devastated by weeks of bombing, the plant is located in an industrial area overlooking the Sea of Azov and covers more than 11 square kilometers (4.25 square miles), containing myriad buildings, blast furnaces and railways. “The Azovstal factory is a huge space with so many buildings that the Russians… just can not find [the Ukrainian forces]Said Oleh Zhdanov, a military analyst based in Kyiv. “For this [the Russians] started talking about the attempted chemical attack. “That’s the only way to smoke them,” Zdanov said. The Azovstal iron and steel plant behind destroyed buildings in Mariupol on March 28. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters Ukraine has said it is checking unconfirmed reports that Russia may have used chemical weapons in Mariupol. Russian-backed separatists have denied using chemical weapons. In peacetime, the Azovstal iron and steel plant pumped 4 million tonnes of steel a year, 3.5 million tonnes of hot metal and 1.2 million tonnes of rolled steel. Like the Illich steelworks and the city’s ironworks, Azovstal is owned by Metinvest, the group controlled by Rinat Akhmetov, a billionaire and Ukraine’s richest man. A Russian separatist deputy commander told Russian state television on Monday that Moscow had occupied 80 percent of the port, but that resistance had continued and that Ukrainian forces had all tried to “get out of the Azovstal plant”. He described the factory as “a fortress in a city”. The city’s defenders include Ukrainian Marines, motorized brigades, a National Guard brigade and the Azov Regiment, a militia created by far-right nationalists that was later incorporated into the National Guard. It is the Azov Regiment, the destruction of which is among Moscow’s war targets, widely associated with Azovstal, and one of its founders, Andriy Biletskiy, also called it “the Azov Fortress.” Russian President Vladimir Putin has called the invasion a “special operation” to “demilitarize and demilitarize Ukraine,” but Ukraine and the West say Russia has launched an unprovoked offensive war. “Azov is actually located in the territory of Azovstal … These are huge areas with laboratories that can not be destroyed by air, which is why the Russians use heavy bombs,” said Sergi Zgurets, a military analyst. Russia’s Defense Ministry said on Wednesday that more than 1,000 soldiers from Ukraine’s 36th Marine Brigade, including 162 officers, had surrendered in Mariupol, although Ukraine had not confirmed this. Pro-Russian troops board an armored vehicle during a battle near the Azovstal plant in Mariupol on April 12. Photo: Alexander Ermochenko / Reuters Oleksiy Arestovych, an adviser to the Ukrainian president, later said that members of the 36th Marine Brigade had managed to drill into a “highly dangerous maneuver” to join Azov’s regiment. “The 36th Brigade avoided breaking into pieces and now has serious additional opportunities, essentially getting a second chance,” he said. The lack of mobile telephony and internet in the city means that information is scarce. Ukraine has maintained tight control over communications over troop numbers and other sensitive issues that could jeopardize its defense. Biletsky told Ukraine’s NV news site on March 20 that Ukraine had a total of 3,000 fighters defending the city against up to 14,000 Russians. Maxar, a private US satellite company, was able to watch the raging space battles on Tuesday. “Smoke and fires were seen coming from a number of buildings across the western and eastern parts of the city, as well as in and near the Azovstal steel plant – the site of ongoing fighting between Russian and Ukrainian forces,” he said. An EU security source told Reuters that it was very difficult to say how much the Ukrainians could stand and that it was difficult for Russia to occupy the entire city because of the industrial complexes. “There are tunnel systems under the steelworks.” “Mariupol is very important for Putin because after a victory there (and the surrender of Azov’s troops) he can claim that the ‘de-depopulation’ process is successful,” the source added. An aide to the mayor of Mariupol said Wednesday that Russia planned to celebrate victory in the city on May 9, the date Moscow marks victory over Nazi Germany in World War II with an annual parade in Red Square. Zdanov, the military analyst, said he saw little chance of Ukrainian forces from abroad breaking the siege of Russia. “How much equipment the defenders have and how long they can keep is everyone’s guess. But they have no other way out. They are surrounded on all sides, they have to stand until the end. “If they retreat, they will not be spared.”
