Former General: With the land bridge to Crimea Russia can put a lot of pressure

Deutsche Welle: Mr Feichtinger, after eight weeks of fighting, Mariupol is reportedly under Russian control – with the exception of the steel plant. Putin spoke of a success and the “liberation of Mariupol.” Can we really consider the capture of Mariupol a Russian success? If so, from what point of view?

Walter Feichtinger: If President Putin calls the takeover of Mariupol a success, at least it should be put in quotes and pictures of Mariupol should be seen. It is a city that has been reduced to ashes, where we have an extraordinary number of civilian casualties, and where, at the steel plant, there is still a resistance that may perhaps somehow tarnish this victory of the Russian side. But it also shows how necessary President Putin is to talk about a success, because the war waged so far has not been successful.

Mariupol

Militaryly, of course, there is already some success on the Russian side. If Mariupol is brought under control, it is possible to build a land bridge between Crimea and Donbass here. With this vast territory continuously stretching from Kherson to Mariupol and the Donetsk and Luhansk regions, Russia can already exert great pressure. Perhaps this is the purpose of the next phase, during which one could also think of discussions and peace talks, because Russia has managed to take control of a large part of the territory.

But we should not underestimate the symbolic value either. Mariupol has been a stated target since 2014, when it came to creating separatist territories. He was also briefly attacked, but the attack was repulsed.

Putin does not want to attack the Azov steel plant, but to surround it. What reasons could he have for this?

Mariupol

This is understandable from a military point of view, as a war in such a region is too expensive, many casualties must be expected. From the Russian side, they use instead a method that I would describe as treacherous, which consists of blocking the opponent, bombarding him from the air and waiting until everything is over: weapons, ammunition and of course food supply.

Currently, I do not see any real political reason (for an attack – editor’s note) against the steel plant. It is about establishing military control over the whole of Mariupol and the ability to liberate its own forces.

Will the full capture of Mariupol allow Russia to secure more troops for an offensive in the Donbass?

This is probably the hope of the Russian side and as a result then several thousand soldiers may withdraw. However, this is not the great and decisive force that can be thrown into battle. This is a small reinforcement given the vast territory that is not yet under Russian control in the Donetsk region.

Walter Feichtinger is an Austrian military expert and retired brigadier general. The interview was conducted by Marina Baranovska./Dw

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