Sky News reports that the British Ministry of Defense, citing intelligence, has reported that the coordinated resistance of the Ukrainian military in Mariupol is a serious challenge to the Russian military, and has slowed Russia’s progress.
“Ukraine’s coordinated resistance has put Russia’s army in a difficult position and has slowed Russia’s advancement. The Russians’ attempts to capture Mariupol have caused significant damage to the locals. The statement stated that a large amount of infrastructure was destroyed and the local population suffered significant losses.
British intelligence reports that the occupation of settlements near Mariupol by Russia is similar to what Russia has done in 1999 in Chechnya, and in 2016 in Syria.
The British intelligence service stated that “this is despite the Russian Ministry of Defense’s announcement on February 24, 2022 that Russia would not strike cities or threaten the people of Ukraine.”
Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Main Intelligence Division of Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense, said in an interview with SPIEGEL that “the statements of the Russian occupiers regarding the imminent fall of Mariupol have not been confirmed.”
He also noted that, so far, the Russian occupiers had repeatedly claimed that the city was taken. This has not yet occurred.
“Mariupol represents the heroism and sacrifice of our people and soldiers.” Budanov said that the fall of the city was long anticipated. “The Russians claimed that the city was already captured, then that its capture would be inevitable. But, as you can tell, this hasn’t worked for more than one month,” Budanov stated.
The head of the main Intelligence division also said Mariupol will endure and not fall.
Budanov believes that “at some stage, the Ukrainian Army will be able break the blockade.”
The Ukrainian soldiers refused to surrender when Russia asked them to do so.
As an example, Volodymyr Zelensky, the President Ukraine, said that peace talks with Russia would be impossible if Russia destroyed the Ukrainian military at Mariupol.
By Ana Dumbadze
Image Source: Times of Israel
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