In Mariupol, Putin now rules a wasteland pitted with mass graves

The siege of Mariupol holds a number of military and political lessons. From the military perspective it underscores why the Ukrainians must prevent cities from being isolated. Once cut off from supply, the defence can only last so long. The siege also highlights why attacking Russia’s logistics is vital. The Russian military has enough artillery ammunition to keep up a continual bombardment equivalent to that unleashed on Mariupol for five years. The constraint on that firepower is Russia’s ability to move the ammunition to the guns.

The political lesson from Mariupol, however, is that Putin’s invasion of Ukraine is an act of futility. Russia will have to level Ukraine’s cities if it wishes to occupy them. Underscoring the nonsense of Russia’s whole invasion is that among the troops sent to “denazify” Mariupol, many of Russia’s soldiers wore neo-Nazi insignia on their uniforms. As the Spanish philosopher Miguel de Unamuno reportedly told fascist officers in 1936: “You will win, because you possess more than enough brute force, but you will not convince, because to convince means to persuade.” Mariupol tells us that any Russian victory in Ukraine will be hollow.