Source: Privy Council No. 10
Mariupol , an inconspicuous Ukrainian city, has now attracted global attention. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Kuleba called Russia through CBS on the 17th, saying that Mariupol may be a "red line" for negotiations. Once Russia crosses it, the already difficult negotiations with Russia will come to an end.
The Russian army remained unmoved. On the 18th, it resumed its attack on the city's key stronghold of the Ukrainian army - the Azov Iron and Steel Plant. This is also the last home of the Uzbek "Azov Battalion".
What is strange to the outside world is that since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict on February 24, the Russian army has launched an attack on Mariupol, but it has been almost two months. The Russian army has used everything from strategic bombers to large-caliber Various weapons, including artillery shells, still failed to take the city. What is the reason for the Russian army to progress so slowly?
may wish to review the "Siege of Mariupol" first. From the first day when the conflict between Russia and Ukraine broke out on February 24, this city with a population of 400,000 has been in flames of war. The Ukrainian side said that the city was attacked by Russian artillery that day, injuring dozens of civilians. Then there were rumors that the Russian Marine Corps, under the cover of the Black Sea Fleet , carried out an amphibious landing on the coast of the Sea of Azov near Mariupol; retreat.
However, in the initial stage of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the Russian army’s total strength was relatively small, and it had to “full bloom” on multiple fronts. As a result, it failed to form a military advantage in the direction of Mariupol, and could only adopt encirclement tactics. The Ukrainian side stated that the Russian army and the Udonian militia completely blocked the city on March 2, and then launched intermittent attacks.
It was not until mid-March that the Russian army adjusted its deployment and put the reinforced Chechen troops into the siege of Mariupol. Since then, the progress of the Russian army has been steadily advancing. At the beginning of April, the main fighting in central Mariupol had ended, and the focus of the fighting shifted to the port of Mariupol and the Azov Iron and Steel Works in the south. On April 10, the Russian army claimed that the port of Mariupol had been occupied, but the Ukrainian side claimed that the part of the 36th Brigade of the Ukrainian Army stationed in the port area successfully broke through and joined the "Azov Battalion" stationed at the Azov Iron and Steel Plant. .
Since then, the Azov Iron and Steel Plant has become the last and strongest fortress of the Uzbek army. Although the Russian army has used various weapons, it has been unable to make breakthroughs. The old driver
believes that the reason for this situation is firstly related to the difficulty of street fighting in modern cities. There are many high-rise buildings in the city, and these buildings become natural bunkers for the defenders. The direct sight distance in the city is short, and the range advantage of the heavy artillery is difficult to play. Moreover, the defender usually builds a large number of underground passages and traffic trenches, and takes advantage of their own familiarity with the terrain to fight.
Not to mention the Russian army with relatively backward equipment, when the U.S. military in Iraq dealt with anti-American forces that lacked formal training, they also had a headache for being involved in urban street fighting, and even built special training camps for intensive training.
Russian military expert Dmitry Plotnikov said that the Russian army's ineffective attack on Mariupol was largely due to the fact that neither the Russian army nor the Donetsk armed forces had experience in urban street fighting. Even Russian officers with experience in Syria operations admit that the situation in Mariupol is different. In Syria, although buildings are dense, houses have a much lower number of storeys.
In such a situation, it takes more time to prepare for the attack than the defense itself. In Mariupol, when the building is to be taken, it is first necessary to carry out a thorough reconnaissance, and then to fight it from floor to floor. This is the most difficult and time-consuming battle of urban warfare, , and is bound to take a lot of time.
Secondly, the Russian army not only lacks professional training, but also lacks professional equipment for urban street fighting. For example, in this Russia-Ukraine conflict, many Russian tanks were ambushed and destroyed in the city. One of the important reasons is that the infantry and tanks did not coordinate well, and sometimes even the tanks went deep alone. Tanks were not developed for urban assault. Limited by the pitch angle of the artillery, tanks cannot attack higher buildings or firepower points located in the basement. At the same time, the protection of the side, rear, and top of the tank is very weak.
In addition, the Russian army lacks the preparations to deal with the tiny unmanned aerial vehicles that may appear on the battlefield at any time, even consumer-level unmanned aerial vehicles.prepare. They are widely used in reconnaissance and surveillance, laser irradiation guidance, artillery calibration and so on. At very low cost, they allow air intelligence support to be pervasive to small units. This kind of micro-drone is not impossible to counter, and many countries in the world have anti-drone systems based on various mechanisms. But this Russia-Ukraine conflict shows that the key is how to detect, discover and counter micro-drones that may appear in any corner at any time. Third, Uzbekistan has a firm will to resist. The main force of the guards in Mariupol is the "Azov Battalion". They have been fighting all year round and have relatively rich experience. Their will to resist is stronger than that of the regular Ukrainian army. They are a "hard nut to crack". The Azov Iron and Steel Plant where the "Azov Battalion" is stationed is the oldest ferrous metallurgical plant in Ukraine. It was established in 1933 and covers an area of nearly 11 square kilometers. In the Soviet era, there were 41 workshops and 80 large factory buildings built here. All these facilities are now transformed into fortifications, headquarters, warehouses and barracks by the Ukrainian army. Some of the concrete bunkers are as thick as 3-4 meters, "conventional strikes do not work." Donetsk leader Denis Pushilin also revealed that there are as many as 6 floors of underground facilities under the ground of the Azov Iron and Steel Plant, and the Ukrainian army can move freely in it relying on the underground passages extending in all directions. Western observers believe that unless chemical weapons are used, it is impossible to completely clean up the Ukrainian troops hiding in the underground fortifications in a short period of time.
In addition, there must be intelligence support from NATO forces behind the Ukrainian army. The Russian army is not only fighting a hot war with Ukraine, but also fighting intelligence and information warfare with NATO .
However, the Russian army also summed up the successful experience of the "Siege of Mariupol"-cutting off their personnel and material supply channels with the outside in time. Russian military expert Dmitry Boltenkov said that even if the Russian army does not launch a fierce offensive, because the opponent is consuming ammunition every hour, but because the supply of foreign aid is interrupted, there is nothing to add. "Ukrainian soldiers ran out of grenades , an essential tool in urban combat, and had no more food, ammunition and anti-tank weapons to replenish. This doomed them."