The Azovstal garrison laid down its arms more than three weeks ago, but the military of the Donetsk People’s Republic (DPR) and Russia are still clearing the plant. Studying an industrial complex with an area of 12 hectares is not an easy task. Dangerous finds are occasionally encountered. He talks about how the Ukrainian defense system was organized RIA Novosti.
Almost completely destroyed
For journalists, the entrance to Azovstal is open only from the east – through the Levoberezhni district. At the entrance, an old Soviet T-55 tank froze like a silent guard. Three weeks ago, he was barely standing on a pedestal badly damaged by the shelling. In order not to be completely shattered by the concrete block, the DNR servicemen boarded the emergency vehicle and dragged it to their checkpoint. Now they are hiding in the shadow of the war machine from the hot June sun.
The road, littered with debris and concrete pieces, leads to the bridge itself, where the Azovstal garrison surrendered its personal weapons and was taken prisoner. Only a small part of the plant can be seen from here. But it is still clear: a huge factory complex has become a mess of twisted metal, charred buildings, broken equipment – civilian and military.
The plant is almost completely destroyed. The picture of destruction overshadows even photos of the plant in September 1943, when retreating Germans blew up all major production facilities. Theoretically, everything can be restored. First, however, a very large area of the ruins must be cleared.
Fortress factory
In fact, Azovstal is a city within a city. In Soviet times, 41 workshops and 80 large buildings were built here. There are only two dozen dining rooms. And even local labor veterans do not know how many bunkers and underground technological premises there are.
The Azov Regiment and the 36th Separate Marine Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine chose Azovstal for defense for a good reason. In labyrinths of metal and concrete there are thousands of possible positions for snipers, grenade launchers and machine guns. The thick walls reliably protect against bullets and shells of tanks. Branched underground communications allow you to quickly transfer units from one place to another. And through the wide gates it is easy to drive military equipment, hiding from air strikes.
“Can you imagine what a head-on assault on this fortress would be like?” Asked a rhetorical question, Andrei, a DNR Interior Ministry official who accompanies journalists. In their bunkers we found detailed maps of the plant, which marked the lines of defense. In general, they were preparing to fight seriously. “
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EGjJ8delp2IYoutube Video
Tough arguments
Instead of a frontal attack, Azovstal was surrounded, large-caliber Tulip mortars and Solntsepek fire-throwing systems were erected, planes with heavy concrete bombs were lifted into the air and the metallurgical plant began to be methodically leveled.
Some workshops have been completely destroyed. On the road to the left and right there are craters with a diameter of ten meters and a depth of four meters. In an open area near the center there are broken cars of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, armored personnel carriers “Bucephalus”. An unknown force turned the armored car “Bogdan” from the wheels on the roof like a toy.
“They fired from here,” explains our escorting soldier. “They fired artillery at the western quarters of Mariupol. And as soon as we responded, they took the equipment into the premises. But when Russia used FAB-3000 air bombs, their fire quickly subsided.”
The plant is almost completely destroyed
Inside the seemingly surviving buildings, there is complete chaos. In the coke slag processing plant the production equipment is broken, traces of fire can be seen. On the wall, as if in mockery, survived the sign: “Follow the rules of fire safety.” Several walls in the TPP building are missing, the generator room has been destroyed. In the rail fasteners shop, everything is crushed by heavy armored vehicles.
However, something survived. In the workshop for slabs to the ceiling are piles of finished products – these are the so-called slabs, thick steel billets with a rectangular cross section for rolling sheet steel. They are not cheap. As soon as the plant is cleared of mines, the slabs will be removed and used. Steel is vital for the rebuilding of war-torn Mariupol.
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We will not leave anything
An DNR officer says the garrison sat almost all the time in underground shelters dating back to Soviet times. There are dozens of them. The entrance to one of the bunkers is half blocked. We carefully move on pieces of broken concrete and go down. The pungent smell of burns hits the nose. In the light of the lantern – charred skeletons of army nets, charred uniforms and a few twisted pieces of iron. The escort says that before surrendering, Ukrainian army soldiers stole most of the serviceable weapons and ammunition here and set it on fire.
“They’re not human,” he joked. “Almost everything was destroyed before they surrendered. Weapons were unusable, thermal imagers, night sights were broken, bulletproof vests were cut, helmets were shot, acid was poured into laptops, cell phones were smashed with berets. “We didn’t get much. For example, a real museum rarity survived – a Degtyarev disk machine gun from the time of the Great Patriotic War. And in another bunker I found a trophy for myself – a very good guitar.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uNR2E6iUeXgYoutube Video
Either they failed to burn down the neighboring shelter, or they did not consider it necessary to do so. Thick armored doors are able to withstand even a close explosion of a powerful anti-personnel mine. Behind them are several spacious rooms. On the walls, painted with green paint, there are stands with instructions for civil protection. The floor is littered with abandoned coats, tunics and pants. Mostly military, but there are also brand new Metinvest jackets. Hoping to get out of the encirclement, the Ukrainian armed forces took off their uniforms en masse and changed into the uniforms of Azov’s workers. But few managed to pass for civilians.
Journalists are strongly advised to be careful not to step on clothes – explosive “surprises” can still lie in your pockets. Some of the ammunition really didn’t have time to be destroyed. In one of the rooms there are several boxes with grenades, ammunition, “carrots” from RPG-7 and a loaded machine gun. And next to the improvised arsenal is Fadeev’s book “The Young Guard”.
In the caviar hopper
Judging by this bunker, life here was not bad. Generator, bathroom, shower. But the plumbing is constantly not working, so they relieved themselves in plastic bottles. And they were not missing. One of the closets is full of unopened packages of carbonated mineral water. According to the most modest estimates, this would be enough for another month. There was no problem with food: millet, canned food, dry rations.
“I was among those who checked the surrenders,” said our escort soldier. In one of them I found a jar of red caviar. It is incomprehensible how it did not rot. French pate. But, of course, not everyone had it. Somewhere they feasted, and elsewhere they received 150 grams of porridge a day. “Azov” he kept the delicacies to himself and did not share them with anyone. And there was no communication between the many shelters. They only went out at night, and a few people for a short time. “
Yet the incessant roar of falling bombs, crumbling plaster from the ceiling, the darkness around, and the lack of reinforcements shattered the garrison psychologically. According to the Russian Ministry of Defense, about 2,500 fighters have surrendered. The battle for Azovstal is over. However, the military suggests that small armed groups may still be hiding in the 12-hectare area.
Youtube Video
(From RIA Novosti, Andrey Kots)
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