A Bridge, a Port, and Steel: Why Ukraine's Mariupol is Important to Russia

Conquering the port city would allow Moscow to build a bridge from Luhansk and Donetsk to Russian-controlled Crimea.

An image of a pregnant woman being carried out in a stretcher in Mariupol sparked worldwide condemnation of Russian atrocities in Ukraine. Both the woman and her child did not survive.

(Photo: PTI)

Dmytro Gurin, a Ukrainian Member of Parliament, accused Russian forces on Monday, 21 March, of attempting to starve the port city of Mariupol in Ukraine into surrendering.

The accusation comes in the backdrop of Ukraine rejecting a Russian deadline demanding that the city's defenders put down their weapons in exchange for leaving the city alive.

Mariupol has been the target of horrendous Russian attacks in the past two weeks. On 9 March, the Russian Air Force bombed a building that was functioning both as a children's hospital and maternity ward.

An image of a pregnant woman being carried out in a stretcher sparked worldwide condemnation of Russian atrocities in the city and across the country. Both the woman and her child did not survive.

Only one week later, the air force bombed Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre, a site that was being used a shelter from Russian air raids by more than a thousand people.

And then on Sunday, 20 March, Ukrainian officials accused Russian forces of bombing an art school where hundreds of people had been taking refuge.

Despite a few evacuations taking place, more than 3,00,000 people are still trapped in the port city with a lack of food and water supplies.

Neverthless, Ukraine refuses to surrender, and Russia refuses to stop the siege. The battle for Mariupol has turned into a war of attrition, with the Russians wreaking absolute destruction upon the city.

But why does Russia seem desparate to win Mariupol? What aspects of the port city make it strategically important?

Connecting Crimea to Donbas

Mariupol is very close to the Russian border and is located on the Azov Sea.

But more importantly, it is only a few kilometers away from the pro-Russian separatist-controlled regions in eastern Ukraine.

The geographical position of Mariupol, therefore, makes it important to Russia, because conquering the city would allow Moscow to build a bridge or any kind of a land corridor from Luhansk and Donetsk to Crimea, which has been under Russian control since the 2014 annexation.

Mariupol is located between Donbas and Crimea. 

(Photo: iStock)

Therefore, pro-Russia rebels in Donbas and Russian troops in Crimea could together increase the Kremlin's control over Eastern Ukraine.

This bridge would also allow the Kremlin to establish full control of the Ukrainian coast along the Sea of Azov.

Maritime Trade and Operations

Mariupol is a port city, and capturing it would ensure Moscow's control over maritime trade along the Azov Sea. After all, it is the busiest commercial marine hub on that water body.

The Mariupol Sea Port handles more than 10 million metric tons of cargo, and is a very important port in terms of freight traffic.

Capturing Mariupol "would essentially deprive Ukraine of the Azov coast. Not in a geographical sense, but in an economic sense", according to Aleksandr Khramchikhin, who works for the Moscow-based Institute of Political and Military Analysis, as quoted by Radio Free Europe.

Other ports in the region like Rostov-on-Don and Yeysk don't have as much capacity as Mariupol. Controlling the latter could also make logistics and operations between Donbas and Crimea significantly more convenient for Moscow.

Additionally, if the war between Russia and Ukraine drags on for a few more weeks, a Kremlin controlled Mauriopol could be essential in providing aid and supplies to Russian fighters in Ukraine.

Steel

Mariupol is also an extremely crucial industrial centre, containing more than fifty industrial sites.

Two steel factories – Illich Steel & Iron Works and Azovstal – are responsible for a huge share of the country's total steel production.

Capturing these industries will allow Moscow to economically squeeze Kyiv, increasing the chances of an eventual surrender.

In fact, officials such as lawmaker Lesia Vasylenko said that due to the Russian attacks, Azovstal had been "destroyed".

"We will return to the city, rebuild the enterprise and revive it," the factory's director general, Enver Tskitishvili, wrote on Telegram, according to a report published by Voice of America.

The Extent of Destruction

Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began, local authorities have counted at least 2,500 to have died in Mariupol.

Prior efforts to evacuate civilians from the besieged city have been obstructed by Russian troops, who continue to shell and bombard it.

Residents have been hiding in basements for three weeks.

Around 80 percent of buildings have been destroyed, and Mauriopol MP Yaroslav Zhelezniak has described the city as "hell on Earth".

Dead bodies lie scattered across the streets, but there's nobody to bury them because they're fearful of being shot.

Despite everything, the Ukrainian forces and the Ukrainian people in Mariupol continue to defy Russian attacks.

With neither side showing any signs of backing down, Russia's war of attrition on Ukraine also continues.