Photo: ALEXANDER ERMOCHENKO/REUTERS / Deutsche Welle
The darkest chapter in Mariupol’s history came to an end these days. Ukrainian fighters left the Azovstal steelworks after three months of resistance. It was a record at this stage in Russia’s war against Ukraine, which began with the annexation of Crimea. Longer was the defense of the Donetsk airport, which stretched between 2014 and 2015 . But the situation in Mariupol was more complex, because Ukraine was unable to help the besieged militarily.
Many Ukrainian soldiers left the compound’s tunnels by their own means, another They did it loaded on stretchers and many others stayed, to be the last to leave, or die. The hope of those who chose to remain in captivity in Russian hands is to be exchanged for fallen invading soldiers in the hands of Ukrainian units. Russia is apparently in no hurry to do such a thing and instead uses POWs for demeaning propaganda.
Mariupol. Today the whole world knows the name of this city located on the shore of the Sea of Azov. It will undoubtedly feature prominently in the history books of this Russian war against the Ukraine, which is a brutal war of extermination. Mariupol is the first major Ukrainian city to be systematically destroyed by the Russians, who had no regard for civilians. The city was quickly surrounded, but it did not give up, but resisted and became a role model of the Ukrainian will to fight against the invaders. Mariupol was the only big city in the south of the country to put up such a bitter resistance, and in kyiv they should keep that in mind.
The exact death toll in the city, which was home to nearly half a million people before the war, is not yet known, but it is feared they could be tens of thousands. After weeks of uninterrupted shelling, there are hardly any residential buildings left undamaged. This is without a doubt a war crime.
Why did Russia attack Mariupol so brutally?
From the first day of the war, Mariupol was one of the cities where there was the strongest fighting, along with Kharkov and kyiv. Why? Mainly because of its strategic importance. Mariupol is, after Donetsk, the second largest industrial center in the country and one of the main commercial ports. In the spring of 2014 it suffered the fate of Donetsk and Lugansk and for some weeks it was controlled by the alleged pro-Russian separatists, but the Ukrainian Army managed to recover it relatively quickly . The front line was since then a few kilometers from the city. The two local industrial giants, Azovstal and Mariupol Ilyich Metallurgical Combine were able to continue production.
For eight years the inhabitants of Mariupol lived in a powder keg. But with the exception of the January attack in 2015, where more than 30 people, the city was saved and suffered no further attacks or destruction. In that time, the city became an epicenter of a Russian-speaking but Ukrainian-minded region. The blue and yellow flag was a thorn in the side of those who wanted to see Mariupol as part of the regions that, in practice, have been occupied by Russia since 2014. This is also the reason for the special cruelty with which the Russian Army acted. In addition, the fact that the city is in the middle of the land bridge that Russia intends to create to occupied Crimea also plays a role. Creating such a land link is one of the obvious goals of Russia in this war.
Another very important reason is that the headquarters of the Azov regiment, founded by nationalists , was in Mariupol. It was they who played a central role in the liberation of the city in 2014. The very existence of this regiment, a small but well-known and well-armed unit of the Ukrainian National Guard, has been a central theme of Russian propaganda for years. Ever since Russia made “denazification” an official war goal, the Kremlin has been trying to annihilate everyone it calls “Nazis”.
Trial of Russian war criminals
The price that Mariupol had to pay for this is scandalous. In world historical memory, the city joins the list of cities that have been almost completely destroyed in a war. The battle of Mariupol will remain in the memories for the disconcerting bombing of a maternity hospital, from which bloody mothers were taken, as well as for the attack on a theater in whose basement hundreds of civilians had taken refuge, who perished there. These images will not be forgotten. Mariupol represents the shame of Russia.
But the Ukrainian history of the city does not end with the occupation by Russian troops. Just as the Azov steel mill will return to production, the Ukrainian flag will once again fly there. But the darkest chapter in the city’s history will not be fully closed until the war criminals responsible for this brutal conquest are brought to justice. Voices are already being raised calling for an international court not in The Hague, but in Mariupol. There are more than enough witnesses there to prove the war crimes of the Russian Army in Ukraine.