that Russia wanted to establish. Second, it's the largest city in the Donetsk People's Republic that Russia did not yet control, and they wanted to claim the entire area. Third, Mariupol was defended by the Azov Battalion, fitting into Russia's narrative of denazifying Ukraine.
As for the destruction, it's a military strategy employed by Russia, where they first destroy a city and then take it neighborhood by neighborhood. This tactic makes it easier for them to invade and control the city later on.
The future of Mariupol remains uncertain. While Ukraine aims to launch a counter-offensive, it will be challenging to retake the city and the southern coast entirely. Russia's main interest in Mariupol is its military control, and the fate of the civilians and the city's restoration seems to be a secondary concern for them. The rebuilding process, if it happens, will likely be a long-term effort.
Here are the key facts extracted from the text:
1. Russia invaded Ukraine on February 24, 2023 and targeted Mariupol, a port city in the southeast of Ukraine, with artillery fire and rockets.
2. Mariupol was surrounded and cut off from water, heating and electricity by the Russians, who also destroyed most of the city's infrastructure and buildings.
3. The city was defended by Ukrainian forces, including the ultra-nationalist Azov battalion, who resisted for 2 months and 22 days until they surrendered on May 16, 2023.
4. During the siege, thousands of civilians were killed, injured, deported or trapped in the city, with little access to food, medical aid or humanitarian corridors.
5. Russia installed a new pro-Russian mayor in Mariupol and claimed to have liberated the Donetsk region from the Nazis.
6. The city was of strategic, economic and symbolic importance for both sides, as it was located on the land bridge to Crimea, had a large industrial center and was the largest city in the Donetsk People's Republic that Russia did not control.
7. Russia used a military strategy of destroying a city before taking it neighborhood by neighborhood, which they had done before in Chechnya and Syria.
8. Ukraine wanted to launch a counter-offensive to retake Mariupol and the southern coast, but faced difficulties against the Russian forces.
9. Mariupol became a symbol of the war in Ukraine and was compared to Grozny and Aleppo, which were also wiped off the map by Russian bombs.
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