Anniversary of the dismissal of Mariupol/Collage of Channel 24
Today, 13 June, the beautiful city of Mariupol could celebrate the anniversary of its liberation from Russian invaders. Mariupol always wanted to be Ukraine, so Russia decided to take revenge by destroying it to the ground in 2022 and claiming the lives of tens of thousands of civilians.
In 2014, the first confrontation between Ukrainians and pro-Russian militants in Mariupol began almost immediately after the escape of ex-president Viktor Yanukovych back in February. Subsequently, the militants became more active after Russia occupied the Crimean peninsula.
The Russians needed Mariupol from a strategic point of view – access to the Sea of Azov would open direct sea communication with Crimea, and the prospect of capturing the south of Donetsk, Zaporozhye and Kherson regions would open the way to the Crimea by land.
How it all began
In mid-April, pro-Russian terrorists seized the city council of Mariupol, and on May 9, the building of the Department of Internal Affairs. The city came under the control of separatists who terrorized local residents.
On April 14, 2014, the Ukrainian authorities announced the start of the ATO in order to return the cities of eastern Ukraine seized by militants under their control. On May 9, a column of the 72nd brigade destroyed the barricades that the separatists had set up in the city and entered Mariupol.
The legendary breakthrough of the blockade in Mariupol: carefully, there is profanity in the video
But the infidels put up armed resistance, attacking the department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and other objects of law enforcement agencies. Unfortunately, during the fighting in the city center, people were killed. Therefore, in order to avoid an aggravation of the conflict and to prevent a large number of casualties among the local population, on May 10, the ATO headquarters decided to temporarily withdraw the National Guard fighters from the city and Mariupol was under the control of the Russian occupying forces for a month.
Then the locals first learned what the Russian world is: robberies, rape, kidnapping and torture began. Meanwhile, Ukraine was carefully preparing a special operation to liberate the city.The excommander of the Azov regiment, a participant in the liberation of Mariupol, the head of the central headquarters of the National Corps party Maxim Zhorin once told us that plans for the liberation Mariupol was a few.There were different views on how it could be brought back, but the final decision was to fire the city on June 13, 2014.
Announcements about the special operation in Mariupol
At dawn, a new active phase of the assault on Mariupol began. The headquarters of the militants was cleared by 2 assault groups of Azov fighters, who moved in parallel along different streets, in different directions, in which they had their own tasks. The separatists who captured the center of Mariupol fortified themselves in several buildings, creating a system of fortifications between them, through which Ukrainian fighters had to break through.
The sacking of Mariupol showed what Ukrainian fighters are capable of
The sacking of Mariupol in 2014 is a key stage in the Russian-Ukrainian war. Ukraine managed to regain control of a huge city of half a million people in the East. And most importantly, Ukrainian soldiers then proved that they could return territories and fight the enemy.
Who fought for the city:
- 150 special battalion fighters “Azov”;
- 2 companies of the special battalion “Dnepr”;
- 2 companies of the National Guard;
- special forces of the Ministry of Internal Affairs;
- local activists helped and members of the Right Sector.
The special operation was planned so well that not a single Ukrainian soldier died. As a result of the battle, the Ukrainian side had one seriously wounded, one of moderate severity and several people with shrapnel wounds, which were classified as light. All but one seriously wounded fought to the end despite their injuries.
Plan-scheme of the operation to liberate Mariupol/Nikolay Kravchenko's book “Liberation of Mariupol”, publishing house “Orientir”, 2018
Then the Ukrainian defenders destroyed 6 terrorists, captured two dozen, among them the Minister of Defense of the pseudo-republic Igor Khakimzyanov.
After the liberation, Mariupol developed and was considered the most beautiful city in Donbass, although periodically suffered from shelling and terrorist attacks by Russian militants. Mariupol residents considered themselves Ukrainians and every year on June 13, with gratitude to the defenders of the city, they celebrated their dismissal. In particular, this is how the residents of the city celebrated their dismissal a year ago, in 2021.
Mariupol June 13, 2021: photo by Evgeny Sosnovsky
And here is a modest photo from the first anniversary of the liberation of Mariupol in 2015:
Mariupol June 13, 2015/Photo by Petr Andryushchenko
We will dismiss Mariupol again
Counselor to the mayor of Mariupol Petr Andryushchenko stressed that we will once again liberate Mariupol from the occupiers. And this time it will be the final point.
8 years ago it was first liberated from Russian invaders. Our Armed Forces of Ukraine were fired with the support of the townspeople. In fact, it became the birthday of the Azov Regiment for Mariupol residents. Happy birthday and special love. We will again liberate our city from Russian infidels. Again and finally,” he wrote.
Andryushchenko also admitted that the day of the liberation of Mariupol gives him not only hope, but also confidence that Mariupol will win again.
The Minister of Culture and information policy Alexander Tkachenko wrote that “today the Day of the liberation of Mariupol from Russian troops sounds and hurts in a new way.”
June 13, 2014, the Azov regiment and other pro-Russian militants Mariupol. Today the city is again under the occupation of our enemies. Not only the Azovstal plant, but also the destroyed Mariupol Theater and the plundered Kuindzhi Art Museum became a symbol of the tragic events. Tkachenko wrote.
He believes that we will soon repaint the stele at the entrance to the city in blue and yellow, and the enemy will pay for every centimeter of the city destroyed, for every civilian killed and every hero-warrior who defended Mariupol to the last. And we will have another date for the dismissal of our hero city.
