“Apparently, the Russians are going to take their time and go through the Azovstal steel plant with a fine tooth comb.”
More like two things:
1. Putin doesn’t want the steel plant destroyed.
2. The Russian troops are taking higher than expected casualties.
If the plan moves to laying siege then at least there will be less bloodshed on both side for now.
Nope, LESS like two things.
The Russians will kill the defenders. Why surrender if it means almost certain death when there is always some glimmer of hope if you continue to hold out.
All those Russian soldiers who surrendered to the Germans in WWII and vice versa found this truth out the hard way. Same was true in the Pacific theater.
Putin will have no mercy on the defenders of Mariupol. You can take that to the bank and at least (unlike WWII) the defenders know this to be true so if you were faced with such a choice what would you choose?
War sucks. The young and innocent pay in blood and misery along with their mothers for the ego and whims of old men. This war is particularly bad in many respects and even the discussions here and elsewhere about it are downright ugly.