War in Ukraine: Mariupol, the last stand of the Azov brigade against Russian troops – Le Monde

A Ukrainian soldier in the streets of Mariupol, March 12, 2022. MSTYSLAV CHERNOV / AP Behind the fierce resistance of the city of Mariupol in the face of the Russian invasion and Moscow’s objective of depriving Ukraine of all access to the sea of Azov, hides another, more secondary issue, which nevertheless weighs heavily on a siege begun on March 13. According to several military sources, interviewed by Le Monde in Zaporijia, the Russian army and its allies, separatist soldiers from Donbass or Chechens, are also driven by a fierce desire to do battle with the Azov brigade, the Ukrainian force in the front line. to defend the city. After having fought street by street in Mariupol, the soldiers of this Azov brigade are today folded up on the vast influence of the metallurgical site of Azovstal, located at the seaside of this large port and industrial city. “They have transformed the galleries of thick concrete tunnels that criss-cross the entire enclave into a fortress,” explains Victor, a colonel in the Ukrainian army, who agrees to speak only on condition of anonymity. this is where they rest, where they can move around safely and from where they can launch attacks on the surrounding troops. Read also: Article reserved for our subscribers War in Ukraine: the survivors of Mariupol recount a month under the hell of bombs According to his information, this last pocket of Ukrainian resistance continues to suffer, day and night, from heavy bombardments. “The Russians use the Solntsepek, the top of the range of the so-called Grad multiple rocket launchers, which are at the origin of most of the destruction of Mariupol, they also resort, ten to fifteen times a day, to air strikes by means of missiles likely to perforate this underground network, and finally, the usual lot of mortars. The Russian forces avoided the ground attack, not mastering a terrain extended over several square kilometres, being wary of an elusive defense entrenched in this area. “More mobile than a regular army” “The Azov regiment is at the heart of the Mariupol resistance, its numbers have been so inflated that it is now called a brigade”, explains Colonel Victor, 53 years old, and having began his military career in the Soviet era. “Organized in tactical groups, this force of more than three thousand men is more mobile than a regular army,” he continues. Placed in 2014 under the supervision of the Ministry of the Interior, the Azov brigade is equipped for close combat. Even if they are dressed like soldiers, these forces look more like militarized police units, like French RAID, than regular troops. You have 51.86% of this article left to read. The following is for subscribers only.