On 15 April, a Ukrainian military commander issued a plea for military reinforcements to come and "break the siege" of Mariupol. He also said that "the situation is critical and the fighting is fierce" but that sending reinforcements and breaking the siege "can be done and it must be done as soon as possible".[215] On the same day, Ukrainian Defence Ministry spokesman Oleksandr Motuzianyk reported Russia started using Tu-22M3 long-range bombers to strike targets in Mariupol.[216] The Azovstal iron and steel works, the heart of one of the remaining pockets of resistance, was well-defended and described as a "fortress within a city", as the steel plant was an enormous complex that made locating the Ukrainian forces difficult and had workshops that were difficult to destroy from the air. Additionally, the complex contained a system of underground tunnels, which would make clearing the entire complex challenging.[217] During the day, Russian forces captured the base of the Ukrainian National Guard's 12th Operational Brigade [ru; uk], in western Mariupol
Credits : [ Ссылка ]
NONPOLITICAL, PROVIDED ONLY FOR EnTERTAINMENT AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY
