Siege of Mariupol - Animated Analysis

It’s the early morning of February 24th, 2022. At 4:30 am, two Russian tankers in the Sea of Azov, start moving directly to the city of Mariupol by the shortest path from Yeysk. This atypical behavior is seen on the radar screens in the Coastal Defense Headquarters at Mariupol Airport. There, the officers from multiple units responsible for the Ukrainian coastline come to the conclusion that the Russian Invasion of Ukraine has begun. The orders are given to start mining the waters near the Mariupol seaport. In a few hours, they are proven right as the city is attacked by naval artillery of Russian ships that apparently use tankers as decoys. Simultaneously, Russian cruise missiles, attack aviation, and land artillery start pounding the Ukrainian defenses in the east, giving the official start to the battles for Mariupol. Invaders also specifically target the Coastal Defense Headquarters but failed to inflict significant damage. Still, the operations of the center are halted as most of the servicemen are lost