After Russian President Putin commanded his army to shut off the Azovstal steelworks, tens of thousands of citizens in Mariupol face starvation.
The facility was the final stronghold of the Ukrainian insurgency in the port city, but Putin has directed his forces to completely seal it off so that "not even a fly can get away."
Civilians and soldiers stuck inside have no water and food, and Ukraine's foreign ministry is pleading for a way to evacuate them to safety.
There are hundreds of Ukrainian citizens, children, and wounded fighters who are stranded in the building's basements.
They don't have food, water, or medicine to survive, according to the ministry. They added that an immediate humanitarian passage from the Azovstal plant is required, with assurances that people will be safe.
The city's takeover is strategic and symbolic, increasing Putin's hope of demonstrating substantial triumph by Russia's Victory Day on May 9, with activities ramping up to align with the celebrations, according to the British Defense Ministry.
Putin delivered the Avozstal order to his defense minister, Sergei Shoigu, who had earlier informed Putin that more than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers were still holed up at the massive factory.
In a broadcast discussion at the Kremlin, Putin urged Shoigu, "I deem the intended siege of the industrial zone needless. I command that you withdraw it."
Putin praised Mariupol's successful liberation when Shoigu informed him that Moscow had taken over the city, with the exception of the Azovstal steel factory. He said that his conclusion not to raid the steel plant was motivated by a desire to protect the lives of Russian fighters.
"I consider there is no need to move underneath these buildings and descend into the tombs," Putin remarked. Shoigu had also confirmed that the facility had been securely blocked.
Putin also urged the surviving Ukrainian soldiers in Azovstal who have not yet surrendered to do so, adding that Russia will show them respect as well as provide medical aid to those who were wounded.
Nonetheless, having left the complex in Ukrainian hands offsets the Russians' declaration of outright victory in the city of Mariupol.
The enormity of the tragedy there has made it a global key part, and its defeat would rid Ukraine of a crucial port, establish a land bridge through Russia and the Crimean Peninsula, and allow Russian soldiers to deploy further in the Donbas.
