EXPLAINER: Why the battle for Mariupol's steel mill matters
ABC News
Russian President Vladimir Putin is claiming control over Ukraine’s seaside city of Mariupol even as its defenders are holding out inside a massive steel mill near the water
Russian President Vladimir Putin is claiming control over Ukraine's port city of Mariupo l even as its defenders are still holding out at a giant seaside steel mill.
His statement reflected the importance of the city on the Sea of Azov and appeared to be an attempt to declare victory without storming the last pocket of Ukrainian resistance there: the massive Azovstal plant.
WHY IS MARIUPOL IMPORTANT?
Mariupol, which is part of the industrial region in eastern Ukraine known as the Donbas, has been a key Russian objective since the Feb. 24 invasion began. Capturing the city would allow the establishment of a land corridor from Russia's border to Ukraine’s Crimean Peninsula that Moscow annexed in 2014. It also would deprive Ukraine of a major port and prized industrial assets.
