This is a graphic by John Lawson of the underground tunnels and bunkers at the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol, Ukraine, where Ukrainian fighters are holding out against Russian war criminals. It shows how the 15 miles of tunnels up to six stories under the steelworks provide protection from bombs and artillery shells, and potentially a nuclear strike. The steelworks cover 4.2 square miles; it's the last remaining stronghold in Mariupol holding out against the war criminals. But the defenders are running out of ammunition, food and water. Click to enlarge:
As to why it's been important in the war effort:
“The plant covers a huge area, and the Ukrainians can move through underground tunnels to quickly change location,” said Ukrainian military expert Oleh Zhdanov.
“Azovstal is very hard to storm, and the Russians risk losing many troops, resources and, most importantly, time there,” Zhdanov said. “It's a city within a city, and fighting there could take months.”
He added that “as long as Mariupol holds, the Russians can't redeploy 10-12 of their elite units to other areas in eastern Ukraine.”
The city "keeps distracting the Russian army forces and thwarting the Kremlin plans for an offensive in the Donbas.”
We'd love to see this turn out like the Siege of Bastogne in World War II. Time's running out, though.
