As the independent Russian exile newspaper “Meduza” reported, buildings across the city were being demolished and could no longer be rebuilt. The Russian Ministry of Construction provides facilities to process the debris into concrete splinters. These are then to be used by the occupiers to build roads.
The newspaper refers to statements made by Dmitry Chadjinov, a representative of the occupying forces. According to him, there are currently around 2.5 million tons of rubble on an area of 37 hectares in Mariupol. Mariupol was a key target for Russian forces. At the beginning of the war, the city was besieged for months and finally largely bombed.
Siege Was “Hell”
In March, the Russian military destroyed, among other things, a theater in whose basement, according to Ukrainian information, families had sought shelter. Satellite photos show that “Children” was written on the floor in front of the building. Russia still bombed the building, Ukraine said. Hundreds of people were killed.
Russia declared the incident staged, but provided no evidence. Aid convoys attempted to evacuate the civilian population from the city. The Red Cross described the three-month siege of Mariupol as “hell.” For weeks, civilians and soldiers were the last to hold out in the huge Azov steel works.
Steelworks as a symbol of resistance
In mid-May, the civilians were taken to safety, the fighters of the Azov regiment surrendered. The Ukraine left the largely destroyed port city to the Russian troops. But Azov steel became a symbol of Ukrainian resistance. In December, the Russian occupiers began demolishing what was left of the theater.
According to a December report by the AP news agency, the death toll in the city is in the tens of thousands. In May 2022, the city administration estimated at least 25,000 dead. However, the AP agency, which spoke to numerous people on the spot, reckoned that the actual number was at least three times as high.
Bitter battles for Bachmut
The ongoing fighting for Bakhmut in the east is also seen as a symbol of Ukrainian resistance to the Russian attackers. On Sunday, the head of the Russian mercenary troupe Wagner, Yevgeny Prigozhin, complained about the capture of Krasna Hora near the city. According to Prigozhin, Wagner soldiers were currently fighting within a radius of around 50 kilometers around Bakhmut.
Should Bachmut, which is considered strategically important, be taken, then by Wagner fighters. His group is currently only fighting in this area in the Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine. The Wagner Group is not present on other front lines in the south or north. The information could not be independently verified.
Wagner boss: revenue important for further campaign
There has been a bitter fight over Bachmut for months. Ukrainian General Valeriy Zalushnyi said Saturday that Bakhmut is still being held by Ukraine. Attempts are being made to stabilize the front line around the city. Before the war, Bakhmut had around 75,000 inhabitants, Krasna Hora around 600. Earlier this month, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi called Bakhmut a fortress of Ukraine and renewed his demands for long-range missiles in connection with the city’s defense.
In an interview with a Russian military blogger, Prigozhin explained that taking Bakhmut was important for the further campaign. He expects years of tough fighting in Ukraine. With this, Prigozhin gave a rare insight into the time horizon of the war that the Russian side expected. The Wagner group supports the Russian army. How many mercenaries are in action is not exactly known.
London: Greatest Russian losses since the beginning of the war
According to British figures, Russia has lost more soldiers in Ukraine than it has since the early days of the war of aggression. “In the past two weeks, Russia has suffered what is likely to be its highest casualty rate since the first week of the invasion of Ukraine,” Britain’s Defense Ministry said on Sunday, citing statistics from the Ukrainian General Staff. London could not examine the methodology used to collect the figures in detail, but assumes that the “trend illustrated by the data is probably correct”.
According to the data, on average over the past seven days, there have been 824 Russian deaths or injuries per day, which is more than four times the figure for June and July. This increase is likely related to several factors, including the lack of well-trained personnel, coordination, and resources at the frontline, as evidenced in Bachmut, for example. But Ukraine also continues to suffer great losses, the British wrote.
The British Ministry of Defense has been issuing daily updates on the course of the war since the war of aggression against Ukraine began almost a year ago, citing intelligence information. In doing so, the British government wants to both counter the Russian portrayal and keep allies in line. Moscow accuses London of a targeted disinformation campaign.
