Sun, 07 Jun 2026 Berlin 00:16 DE / UKR / EN

Siege of Mariupol: Ukrainian defenders defied Putin’s overwhelming force

In spring 2022, a few thousand Ukrainian soldiers held the city of Mariupol for nearly three months against an overwhelming Russian force. They were defeated but never broken – the siege proved to Ukrainians that Putin could be defied.

Siege of Mariupol: Ukrainian defenders defied Putin’s overwhelming force
Photo: static.kyivpost.com

According to a historical analysis by the Kyiv Post, the siege of Mariupol began in spring 2022 and lasted nearly three months. A handful of Ukrainian defenders, including units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, put up fierce resistance against the Russian army in the city and especially at the Azovstal steel plant.

The defenders were ultimately defeated but never broken. The Kyiv Post emphasizes that the siege proved above all to Ukrainians themselves that Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin can be defied. This lesson, the newspaper says, continues to reverberate to this day – both in Ukraine and in Russia.

The battle for Mariupol is considered one of the most symbolic events of Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. The months-long defense against a vastly superior attacking army became an emblem of Ukrainian resilience.

EuroPulse reported on May 22, 2026, about Putin’s new deadline for capturing the Donbas by fall 2026 (https://europulse.today/putin-donbas-frist-2026/).

Source: www.kyivpost.com