In an interview with Radio Liberty, Lieutenant General Oleksandr Pavlyuk, the commander of the Ground Forces of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, shared insights on the defense of Mariupol during the early stages of the conflict.
According to Pavlyuk, saving Mariupol was impossible due to the overwhelming enemy advantage, which ranged "from one to seven to 10" in favor of the Russian forces.
"For a breakthrough, I needed at least three or four brigades to conduct a counterattack operation," the commander explained, adding that at the time, he had only one brigade, and that was incomplete.
Mariupol's Crucial Role
Pavlyuk emphasized the significance of the Mariupol group in preventing the complete isolation of Ukraine from the Black Sea.
The defense efforts in Mariupol were instrumental in safeguarding the south of Ukraine from being cut off, despite facing immense challenges and enemy regrouping efforts from the Kharkiv region through Izyum.
