On the 59th day of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the last Ukrainian defenders of Mariupol engage in a final battle at the Azovstal Steel Works industrial complex. Russian troops constantly bombard their positions to drive them out.
Meanwhile, the Russian offensive in Donbass has not progressed so far.. The Ukrainian defenses are resisting and even recapturing some areas by counterattacking.
Mariupol and Donbass
The fight in Mariupol continues. Although Russian President Vladimir Putin declared victory in the city and ordered his troops to seal off, but not storm, the Azovstal Steel Plant, Russian forces continue to shell the area where the last Ukrainian soldiers and thousands of civilians have taken refuge.
The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense stated that on Saturday Ukrainian forces killed around 21,600 Russian soldiers (and three times as many wounded), destroyed 177 fighter, attack and transport aircraft, 154 helicopters, 854 tanks, 403 artillery pieces, 2,205 armored personnel carriers, 143 multiple rocket systems (MLRS), eight ships, 1,543 vehicles, 76 fuel tanks, 69 anti-aircraft batteries, 182 unmanned aerial systems, 27 special equipment platforms such as bridging vehicles and four mobile Iskander ballistic missile systems.
The heavy fighting in eastern Ukraine is reflected in the reported Russian casualty figures. In the last two days alone, the Ukrainian military claims to have destroyed 25 tanks, 87 infantry fighting vehicles, 16 unmanned aerial systems, 35 vehicles and 11 artillery pieces.
As always, these figures, which come from an official source, should be treated with caution. But independent reports lend some support to Ukraine’s claims and corroborate their veracity..
Mariupol and Beyond: A Commitment to Ukraine
The West has promised to help Ukraine deal with the Russian invasion. This is demonstrated by the billions of dollars in weapons systems that the United States and its European allies have sent to Ukraine.
On Tuesday, US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin is traveling to Germany for a conference to deal with the Ukrainian government’s military concerns. The United States has invited more than 40 countries to participate, and 20 nations have already confirmed.
“The goal [es] Bringing together stakeholders from around the world for a series of meetings on Ukraine’s latest defense needs and, most importantly, ensuring that Ukraine’s long-term, enduring security and sovereignty is respected and developed,” said Pentagon spokesman John F .Kirby .
“We don’t know how long this war will last. But as we approach the two-month mark, here’s what we know: Putin has not achieved his grand ambitions on the battlefield. After weeks of bombing, Kyiv is still standing. President Zelenskyy and his democratically elected government remain in power. And Ukrainian forces, along with many brave Ukrainian civilians, thwarted Russia’s conquest of their country,” President Joe Biden said in a press release.
President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who has spoken publicly – even arrogantly – about military aid, recognized the contribution of Western arms to ending the Russian invasion.
“They have been aided from day one by tireless shipments of arms, ammunition, armor and intelligence from the nations of the free world led by us, the United States. As Russia continues its military advances (and its brutality against the Ukrainians), Putin is counting on us to lose interest. That was my opinion; You heard me say that from the start. He reckoned that NATO, the European Union, our allies in Asia would break up and withdraw. Bet on cracking the western unit. Keep betting on it. And once again we will prove him wrong. We will not lower our resolve. We will continue to support the brave and proud people of Ukraine. We will never fail in our resolve to defend liberty and oppose tyranny. It’s that simple,” Biden added.
But the Ukrainian leader asked for $7 billion a month to keep Ukraine’s economy and war effort afloat.. The bulk of Ukraine’s economy and industry is located in the south-east of the country. (And this is one of the reasons why the Russian military is trying to conquer the Donbass). As a result, the Russian invasion threatens to destroy the Ukrainian economy.
In fact, the World Bank has estimated that The Ukrainian economy could lose up to 45% of its gross domestic product this year alone as a result of the war.
New 1945 Defense and National Security columnist Stavros Atlamazoglou is a veteran defense journalist specializing in special operations, a veteran of the Hellenic Army (national service in the 575th Marine Battalion and Army Headquarters), and a graduate of Johns Hopkins University. His work has appeared in Business Insider, Sandboxx and SOFREP.