Mariupol is the most bombed city in the war in Ukraine and is not unfairly considered by Moscow as the "key" to the war.
Analysis by Frank Gardner for the BBC summarises the four reasons why Russia is relentlessly pounding Mariupol.
It secures a land corridor between Crimea and Donbass: Mariupol is the obstacle in the way of Russian forces on the Crimean peninsula. They are pushing northeast to join their pro-Russian separatist partners in the Donbass region of eastern Ukraine.
Strangulation of the Ukrainian economy: Under normal circumstances, Mariupol is a key hub of Ukrainian exports of potash, coal and corn to markets in the Middle East and beyond. If Mariupol "falls", the blow will be great for the Ukrainian economy.
Opportunity for propaganda: Mariupol is home to the Ukrainian militia unit called the Azov Brigade, which includes far-right extremists as well as neo-Nazis. Although they are a small part of the fighting forces in Ukraine, they are a pretext for Moscow to tell Russians that the young people it sends to fight in Ukraine are there to rid the country of neo-Nazis: A Russian victory in Mariupol would enable the Kremlin to show the Russians through the state-controlled media that Russia is achieving its goals and making progress in Ukraine. But for the Ukrainians, the loss of Mariupol would be a major blow not only militarily and economically, but also to all those men and women fighting to defend their homeland.
Source: skai.gr
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