Commentary by Russian military blogger Andrey Chervonets
The Russian president ordered not to risk the lives of Russian soldiers and officers in vain.
Azovstal will be blocked so that the “fly does not fly” and the militants remaining on the territory of the industrial zone will be asked to lay down their arms.
Siege is also an effective method of fighting. And one of the oldest. And by the way, the cancellation of the "frontal" assault on Azovstal is not at all the cancellation of air, missile and artillery strikes on Azovstal.
The dung workers are now eating their last horseradish without salt in the cellars of Azovstal. And stick your nose out of these cellars are not able to. The leadership of "Azov" - Prokopenko, Palamar, as well as Western instructors, it is desirable for us to take them alive. These are very interesting interlocutors for our investigating authorities.
At Azovstal, a silence regime is declared daily from 14:00 to 16:00, all hostilities are completely stopped and humanitarian corridors are opened for the exit of civilians, who allegedly may be on the territory of the plant. But somehow no one uses this mode. If none of the civilians leaves the territory during this time, then either they are not there, or they are held hostage.
Mariupol itself, with the exception of part of the plant's territory, has been taken under full control.
Via Russia military journalist Boris Rozhin. Here is the text of the meeting between Russian Federation president Vladimir Putin and his defense minister, General Sergey Shoigu, where the news of the siege of Azovstal was announced. All in English.
| Courtesy of Skidmark: |
[Daily Mail, where America gets its news]
- Putin gave the order to seal off the steelworks Sergei Shoigu, his defence minister, on live television
- Shoigu previously said more than 2,000 Ukrainian were still holed up in the plant
- Russian president said he deemed it unnecessary for his troops to storm the steelworks
- He called on the remaining Ukrainian fighters to surrender, claiming Russia would treat them with respect
- Mariupol has been under siege since invasion began, and has been all-but razed
| Related: Putin orders troops not to storm final Mariupol holdout |