In the Battle of Mariupol in 2022, the Ukrainian defenders, numbering about 3,000, were vastly outnumbered by the 20,000-man Russian attackers, but with their backs to the Sea of Azov, they were quickly surrounded by steel mills and had to be rescued. Very few people came. They were running out of ammunition, in dire need of medicine, and casualties were mounting daily in the makeshift field hospital they had set up in one of their many underground bunkers. Lieutenant General Kirillo Budanov, head of Ukraine's Intelligence Directorate, led the development of a bold plan to resupply and reinforce the desperate defenders.
The plan calls for dangerous helicopter missions into besieged Ukrainian forces. In this episode, Urban Warfare Project Podcast, John Spencer is joined by retired Colonel Liam Collins, founding director of the Modern War Institute and former Ukrainian defense adviser, to discuss those missions. The two traveled to Ukraine to conduct research and learn from the first-hand experiences of Ukrainians during the war. Hear them describe preparations for battle, the conditions faced by Ukrainian garrisons, and helicopter resupply operations in one of the war's first major urban battles.
You can listen to the entire episode below. You can also find it on Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, TuneIn, or your favorite podcast app. If you enjoyed it, please subscribe. Urban Warfare Project Podcastplease take a moment to leave a review or rate the podcast.
John and Liam also wrote about helicopter resupply missions in a recently published article. time Magazine “The untold story of the Ukrainian helicopter rescue operation during the siege of Mariupol”.
Image credit: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
