And Melitopol is one of the first cities that Moscow took control of early in the war, and it is an essential part of a land bridge that Russia aspires to on the Sea of Azov, which connects the two regions in Ukraine that it seized in 2014, namely Crimea in the south and parts of Donbass in the east.
blockade and isolation of Russia
- The American New York Times said that Kyiv is targeting the city with “missile strikes, sabotage missions and assassinations of Russian officials, in preparation for heading towards the city” located about 40 miles behind the front lines in the Zaporizhia region.
- A bridge in Melitopol across the Molochna River was vandalized Monday night, an act Russian officials attributed to “Kyiv forces”. The destruction of the bridge threatened a major Russian supply route to Melitopol from the south.
- Ukrainian and Russian officials have acknowledged recent Ukrainian strikes, attempts to hit Russian command centers, ammunition depots, and supply routes in Melitopol, which had a pre-war population of about 150,000.
strategic importance
- Melitopol is known as a gateway to Crimea, due to its location at the crossroads of two major roads, and near an important railway linking Russia to the peninsula and other territories it controls in southern Ukraine.
- Control of the city and its transport hubs will cut off this bridge and make it difficult to resupply and reinforce Russian forces in southern Ukraine.
- The city of Melitopol is a major center, and regaining control over it will represent a strong start to reach the entire Zaporizhia region, as well as the rest of the neighboring Kherson region, and then the Russian forces will retreat to defend the Crimea.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser, Oleksiy Aristovich, said over the weekend: “It all depends entirely on Melitopol. If Melitopol falls, the entire Russian defenses will collapse all the way to Kherson, and the Ukrainian armed forces will jump straight to the border with Crimea.”
- It was not clear whether the strikes were intended as a prelude to an attack or a distraction attempt, as Ukrainian forces prepare to attack the Russians from a different direction.
What do the experts say?
Military analysts described the Ukrainian strikes as “important,” considering that they are “in line with Ukraine’s approach to using precision missiles to strike Russian logistical targets.”
regain control of the southPolitical analyst Leon Radciosini told Sky News Arabia:
- After the withdrawal of Russian forces from Kherson, Kyiv had limited options in the war, either to go east or to complete the largest field victory in the south.
- “Ukrainian forces have shifted their attention to the southern front line, less than 100 miles north of the Sea of Azov, and then will focus their attention on liberating cities like Innerhodar and Melitopol, then opening a corridor towards the Zaporizhya nuclear power plant.”
- “After the Ukrainian forces took control of the eastern bank of the Dnieper River, they were able to install (Himars) launchers on the western bank, and then the Russian forces in the city became under a great threat.”
- “The Ukrainian strikes, the most prominent of which was the destruction of the strategic bridge in the city, are part of Kyiv’s attempts to cut off the land bridge linking mainland Russia with Crimea.”
- “If Ukraine takes control of Melitopol, the entire Russian defense line will collapse all the way to Kherson, and then the Russian forces will retreat towards Crimea, which will not be far from the range of Ukrainian missiles.”
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