In the south, Russian forces had been tied down in Mariupol. Putin’s announcement that they are going to avoid storming Azovstal probably reflects that they can’t afford to lose further manpower and need those units for the Donbas offensive. 7/

— Michael Kofman (@KofmanMichael) April 23, 2022

Inside the Azovstal steel plant in #Mariupol, where more than 1,000 civilians (children, women, elderly) were hiding in the basement for almost two months.

Children are playing and keeping each other company but they are saying they want to go home, go outside in the sun 💔 pic.twitter.com/W108b6nNZY

— Asami Terajima (@AsamiTerajima) April 23, 2022

Surely a rhetorical question, Michael https://t.co/0wVTXpqrll

— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) April 23, 2022