Putin Declares Victory in Mariupol Though Ukrainian Forces Remain
2022-04-22
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1Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the battle for Mariupol on Thursday.
2But he has ordered his troops not to attack the large, steel factory containing the last Ukrainian fighters in the city.
3Instead, he told his forces to surround the Azovstal factory "so that not even a fly comes through."
4Russian troops have attacked the southeastern port city of Mariupol since the early days of the war.
5The city is largely destroyed.
6Top officials have claimed it was about to fall, but Ukrainian forces continued to fight.
7In recent weeks, a few thousand Ukrainian soldiers were in the factory's tunnels and bunkers.
8Russian forces continued to bomb the site and demanded that they surrender.
9But on Thursday Putin declared victory without taking the factory.
10"The completion of combat work to liberate Mariupol is a success,"
11he said in an appearance with his defense minister.
12"Congratulations."
13Ukraine denied that there is a Russian victory in Mariupol.
14"This situation means the following:
15They cannot physically capture Azovstal.
16They have understood this.
17They suffered huge losses there," said Oleksiy Arestovich.
18He is an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
19By calling the mission a success, Putin may be seeking to take the attention off the plant.
20The factory has become a worldwide symbol of resistance.
21Even without the plant, the Russians appear to have control of the rest of the city and its port.
22The capture of Mariupol would be the Kremlin's biggest victory in the war in Ukraine.
23It would help Russia secure more of the coastline and provide land access between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014.
24 It would also permit Putin to move more forces to the larger battle for Ukraine's eastern, industrial area of the Donbas.
25Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said about 2,000 Ukrainian troops remained at the steel plant.
26Ukrainian officials said about 1,000 civilians were also trapped there along with 500 wounded soldiers.
27Shoigu said the site was blocked off and predicted it could be taken in days.
28"I consider the proposed storming of the industrial area pointless." Putin said.
29He said he wants to protect "the life and health of our soldiers and officers."
30Putin may be hoping Russian forces can wait for the defenders to surrender after running out of food or ammunition.
31The attack of the plant could also continue.
32More than 100,000 people were believed to be trapped with little or no food, water, heat or medicine in Mariupol.
33The city had a prewar population of about 430,000.
34Chris Parry is a former, British high-ranking military official.
35He told The Associated Press: "The Russian agenda now is not to capture these really difficult places where the Ukrainians can hold out in the urban centers, but to try and capture territory and also to encircle the Ukrainian forces and declare a huge victory."
36Russian officials have said capturing the Donbas is the war's main goal.
37Luhansk is one of the two regions that make up the Donbas.
38The governor there said Russian forces control now 80 percent of the area.
39Before Russia invaded, Ukraine controlled 60 percent of Luhansk.
40Meanwhile, Western powers are increasing their support of Ukraine, moving to send additional heavy weapons to the country.
41I'm Dan Novak.
1Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed victory in the battle for Mariupol on Thursday. But he has ordered his troops not to attack the large, steel factory containing the last Ukrainian fighters in the city. 2Instead, he told his forces to surround the Azovstal factory "so that not even a fly comes through." 3Russian troops have attacked the southeastern port city of Mariupol since the early days of the war. The city is largely destroyed. Top officials have claimed it was about to fall, but Ukrainian forces continued to fight. 4In recent weeks, a few thousand Ukrainian soldiers were in the factory's tunnels and bunkers. Russian forces continued to bomb the site and demanded that they surrender. 5But on Thursday Putin declared victory without taking the factory. 6"The completion of combat work to liberate Mariupol is a success," he said in an appearance with his defense minister. "Congratulations." 7Ukraine denied that there is a Russian victory in Mariupol. 8"This situation means the following: They cannot physically capture Azovstal. They have understood this. They suffered huge losses there," said Oleksiy Arestovich. He is an adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. 9By calling the mission a success, Putin may be seeking to take the attention off the plant. The factory has become a worldwide symbol of resistance. Even without the plant, the Russians appear to have control of the rest of the city and its port. 10The capture of Mariupol would be the Kremlin's biggest victory in the war in Ukraine. It would help Russia secure more of the coastline and provide land access between Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized in 2014. It would also permit Putin to move more forces to the larger battle for Ukraine's eastern, industrial area of the Donbas. 11Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu said about 2,000 Ukrainian troops remained at the steel plant. Ukrainian officials said about 1,000 civilians were also trapped there along with 500 wounded soldiers. 12Shoigu said the site was blocked off and predicted it could be taken in days. 13"I consider the proposed storming of the industrial area pointless." Putin said. He said he wants to protect "the life and health of our soldiers and officers." 14Putin may be hoping Russian forces can wait for the defenders to surrender after running out of food or ammunition. The attack of the plant could also continue. 15More than 100,000 people were believed to be trapped with little or no food, water, heat or medicine in Mariupol. The city had a prewar population of about 430,000. 16Chris Parry is a former, British high-ranking military official. He told The Associated Press: "The Russian agenda now is not to capture these really difficult places where the Ukrainians can hold out in the urban centers, but to try and capture territory and also to encircle the Ukrainian forces and declare a huge victory." 17Russian officials have said capturing the Donbas is the war's main goal. Luhansk is one of the two regions that make up the Donbas. The governor there said Russian forces control now 80 percent of the area. Before Russia invaded, Ukraine controlled 60 percent of Luhansk. 18Meanwhile, Western powers are increasing their support of Ukraine, moving to send additional heavy weapons to the country. 19I'm Dan Novak. 20Dan Novak adapted this story for VOA Learning English based on reporting by The Associated Press. 21________________________________________________ 22Words in This Story 23bunker - n. a strong building that is mostly below ground and that is used to keep soldiers, weapons, etc., safe from attacks 24liberate - v. to free from being controlled by another person, group, etc. 25pointless - adj. having no meaning, purpose, or effect 26agenda - n. a plan or goal that guides someone's behavior and that is often kept secret 27territory - n. an area of land that belongs to or is controlled by a government 28front - n. an area where military forces are fighting 29region - n. a part of a country, of the world, etc., that is different or separate from other parts in some way