The city of Mariupol, besieged by the Russian army and its allies, is a strategic port of some 450,000 inhabitants and the last major city bordering the Sea of Azov, on the south-eastern coast, under the control of Kiev.
After several days of bombing, Russia announced a ceasefire on Saturday morning to allow the evacuation of civilians trapped in the fighting.
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LIVE – War in Ukraine: Russia announces a ceasefire to allow the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol
LiveLIVE - War in Ukraine: Evacuation of civilians from Mariupol begins
The mayor of this Russian-speaking city, Vadim Boitchenko, accused Russian and pro-Russian forces on Thursday of seeking "
to impose a blockade
" on Mariupol by preventing its supply and cutting off its "
vital infrastructure
": water, electricity and heating.
Located about 55 kilometers from the Russian border and 85 kilometers from the Russian-backed separatist stronghold of Donetsk, Mariupol is so far the largest city still in the hands of Kiev in the Donbass basin which includes the Donetsk regions. and Lugansk, part of which is under the control of pro-Russian rebels.
Surrounded
The capture by Moscow of this city, which had 441,000 inhabitants in 2018 (UN estimate), would be an important turning point in the conflict launched on February 24 by the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
It would allow Russia to ensure territorial continuity between its forces coming from annexed Crimea, which have already taken the key ports of Berdiansk and Kherson, and the separatist and Russian troops arriving from Donbass.
The two groups joined forces on the Sea of Azov coast on Tuesday, according to Moscow.
The separatists announced for their part on Wednesday that Mariupol was now surrounded.
The port city had already been briefly occupied by pro-Russian separatists in 2014, before being retaken by regular Ukrainian troops.
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Besides its strategic geographical location, Mariupol is a large industrial city.
Like Berdiansk, its commercial port is of crucial importance for the export of cereals or steel produced in the east of the country.
Two large metallurgical companies, the Azovstal and Illitch factories, are located in Mariupol, where they alone employ tens of thousands of people.