Mariupol art school bombing

Overview

The siege of Mariupol began on 24 February 2022, as part of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and lasted until 20 May. It saw fighting between the Russian Armed Forces and the Ukrainian Armed Forces for control over the city of Mariupol in southeastern Ukraine. Lasting for almost three months, the siege ended in a victory for Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), as Ukraine lost control of the city amidst Russia's eastern Ukraine offensive and southern Ukraine offensive; all Ukrainian troops remaining in the city surrendered at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works on 20 May 2022, after they were ordered to cease fighting.

Overview adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Significance

The bombing of the Mariupol art school on March 20, 2022 occurred during the broader siege of Mariupol, which began on February 24, 2022 and lasted nearly three months. The siege was a converging element of Russia's eastern and southern Ukraine offensives, making Mariupol a critical contested point in southeastern Ukraine. Russian forces, numbering approximately 14,000, faced a Ukrainian garrison of 3,500–4,400 defenders. The siege ended on May 20, 2022, when the remaining Ukrainian troops at the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works were ordered to cease fighting and surrendered, giving Russia and the Donetsk People's Republic full control of the city. The fall of Mariupol consolidated Russian territorial continuity along the Sea of Azov coast and represented one of the most significant Ukrainian losses of the 2022 full-scale invasion, achieved at the cost of approximately 6,500 Russian and 4,200 Ukrainian casualties over the course of the siege.

Forces & casualties

Commanders (4)