Mariupol on the Brink of Fall... US Provides Heavy Weapons Including Howitzers (Comprehensive)

Biden Announces "Additional $800 Million Military Aid"
First Support for Heavy Weapons Including Howitzers...Aid Expansion Expected
Russia "Seizes Mariupol Port...Ukrainian Defenders Surrender"

[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporters Hyunwoo Lee and Hyunui Cho] Mariupol, a key strategic point in southern Ukraine, is reportedly on the verge of falling, as U.S. President Joe Biden announced additional arms support worth approximately 1 trillion won. This support is said to include heavy weapons such as howitzers for the first time. Concerns are rising that Russia will intensify its offensive mainly in the Donbas region, leading to expectations that the U.S. and Western countries will expand further arms support and intervention.

On the 13th (local time), after a phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, U.S. President Joe Biden stated in a released statement, "We have decided to provide military aid worth $800 million (about 980 billion won), including weapons and ammunition to Ukraine," emphasizing, "As Russia prepares to intensify its attacks on the Donbas region, the U.S. will continue to provide Ukraine with the capability to defend itself."

The U.S. Department of Defense announced that through this additional arms support, the U.S. plans to supply Ukraine with 18 units of 155mm howitzers and 40,000 shells, 200 M113 armored vehicles, 500 Javelin anti-tank missiles, and 300 Switchblade anti-tank drones. John Kirby, spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Defense, stressed, "The howitzer support is the first time the U.S. has provided such weapons in this war, responding to a special request from the Ukrainian government."

With concerns over Russia's intensified offensive, the U.S. stepping up support with heavy weapons like howitzers is expected to increase the scope of U.S. involvement depending on the war's progression. The Financial Times (FT) analyzed, "This additional arms support signifies a significant expansion of U.S. involvement in the Ukraine war," and "It also reflects the belief among the U.S. and its allies that Russia is less likely to retaliate against the Western world as the war continues."

Mariupol, a strategic city in Ukraine, is understood to be on the brink of falling to Russian forces. According to TASS news agency on the same day, Igor Konashenkov, spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Defense, announced, "We have completely liberated the commercial port of Mariupol," and "In the Illich Iron and Steel Works area of Mariupol, successful attacks by the Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) forces and Russian troops resulted in 1,026 soldiers of Ukraine's 36th Marine Brigade laying down their arms and becoming prisoners."

Vadym Boychenko, mayor of Mariupol, in an interview with British Sky News, stated, "Mariupol still remains a Ukrainian city, but the defenders are finding it very difficult to hold out," adding, "More than 21,000 people have already died due to Russian bombardment."

According to the Associated Press, Ukrainian forces, centered around the regional defense unit Azov Regiment, are gathering at the Azovstal steel plant, the largest steelworks in Mariupol, to make their last stand. With over 90% of the city's infrastructure already destroyed and supplies of food, water, and electricity cut off, it is expected that the defenders' resistance will not last long.

Since the outbreak of the war, Russian forces have launched concentrated offensives on Mariupol, a strategic stronghold. Particularly, Mariupol connects the Donbas region, where the pro-Russian separatist groups Donetsk People's Republic (DPR) and Luhansk People's Republic (LPR) are located, with the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, by land. There are concerns that if Mariupol falls, Russia's offensive will intensify further.