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With a population of about half a million, Mariupol is the 10th largest city in Ukraine, but its strategic location on the northern shore of the Azov Sea makes the city a key target for the Russian military.
For this reason, Mariupol has been bombarded by Russian forces for days and is increasingly isolated from the rest of the country, with the risk of being invaded by Russia in the following days, as happened with Kherson, a town near the mouth of the Dnieper River. in the southwest of the country.
The conquest of Mariupol would enable the Russian army to annex the occupied territories of Crimea and parts of southern Ukraine, some areas already under the control of Donbass, the region where the self-proclaimed republics of Donetsk and Luhansk are located.
Ukrainian territories that have been ruled for years by Russian-backed separatists could join the Russian military presence in Crimea, intensifying military activities in the southern part of Ukraine.
Due to the constant attacks, in recent days it has become more and more difficult to learn about what is happening in Mariupol. The city’s deputy mayor, Serhiy Orlov, told the BBC that the city was “close to a humanitarian catastrophe” after being bombed for 15 hours on Wednesday. “The Russian army is using all its weapons and trying to destroy the city.”
Russian soldiers have so far been positioned a few kilometers away from the city, which is almost completely surrounded. Their attacks have focused on the destruction of power plants and the drinking water network, with the result that in many parts of the city there are constant power outages and water shortages. Also, internet access is difficult and this makes communication difficult between residents, who try to exchange information on the areas that have just been bombed.
Referring to the data, the Russian attacks, it seems in many cases have not spared the inhabited areas. Ukrainian authorities said hundreds of people may have died, but there is no way to make accurate estimates as some areas of the city continue to be bombed and it is therefore impossible to reach them to find the dead bodies and to count them.
The Ukrainian army is present in the area and is conducting various types of operations to deter the approach of Russian soldiers, but the disproportion of military forces has begun to become apparent.
Given the location of the city, the inhabitants of Mariupol, were prepared for very difficult days just a few days after the start of Russian military operations. So far, there is no exact estimate of the number of inhabitants remaining in Mariupol, but it already seems very clear that most of them are unable to leave, due to the constant Russian attacks.
Within a short time, Mariupol could fall under the control of the Russian army, as happened on Thursday morning with Kherson, a city that in the last two days had tried to resist the intensification of Russian attacks.
Kherson has less than 300,000 inhabitants and is the largest city so far occupied by Russia in Ukraine. It has a very strategic position, as it is located in the northwest of Crimea and 100 km east of the city of Odessa, which is intended to be occupied by Russian forces with the aim of gaining control of southern Ukraine.
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