In recent days, films and photos of Mariupol have appeared in Ukrainian and Western media. It is unknown how they got outside the city, which Russia is completely cut off from the world. Observers of the war in Ukraine have no doubt that Putin wants the annihilation of Mariupol’s last defender. Russian troops recently gave Ukraine a deadline to surrender, ensuring that anyone who surrenders will not be killed. In practice, this was a forced confirmation by the occupiers that the application of principles of international law to prisoners of war was not the norm for them and that surrendered Ukrainian soldiers were killed. When the surrender deadline expired and it turned out that Mariupol’s defenders were not flying the white flag, the Kremlin-controlled media encouraged propagandists to disperse the Ukrainians who had found shelter in the factory. Soon Russian bombers started dropping massive 3-ton bombs on Azovstal that could destroy deep underground where humans find shelter. The oldest factory building is about 90 years old. In the 1980s, they were a relic of the Stalinist industrialization of the Soviet Union in the early 1930s.
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Dramatic cry for rescue
Mariupol has been under siege by Russia since the first days of March this year. The last defenders of the city were recruited from two military units: the Azov Regiment and the 36th Marine Brigade.
On Sunday, April 17, a recording appeared in the media in which the commander of the Azov Regiment, Major Denis Prokopienko, called for the rescue of the people at the Azovstal factory:
– I ask politicians from all over the civilized world to organize appropriate “green corridors”, to ensure their safety and to urgently evacuate and protect civilians, wounded soldiers and corpses of fallen soldiers, to bury them with honor.
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The video shows the inside of the shelter where there are women and children, even babies.
– The Russian troops and their allies from the Luhansk and Donetsk people’s republics know this, they know about civilians and are eager to destroy the factory by bombarding us – Major Prokopenko stressed.
Earlier, a similar call was made by a doctor – Sergeant Major Olena Kushnir – who lived in the city to rescue the wounded and civilians. Her husband died in that battle. Olena Kusznir managed to evacuate her little son from Mariupol, but she herself remained among the defenders.
– If you don’t want to save Mariupol, save its inhabitants. We don’t want to be heroes and martyrs after death. People want to live and rebuild Ukraine. You can’t say you don’t know because you know and can act – he said on the tape.
Ołena Kushnir was killed in one of the recent bombings of the defenders’ last stronghold.
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Warriors from the last movie
On the night of Tuesday through Wednesday (19/20 April) a recording was released, in which a man in military clothes calls for help, emphasizing that there are only the last days, perhaps hours, left. According to the media, this is Major Serhiy Volyna, commander of the 36th Marine Brigade.
– This is our attraction to the world – said Major Serhiy Volyna. – This could be the last message from us. We have the last few days, maybe hours, left. The enemy’s strength is ten times greater than ours. They control the whole area, they have the hardware advantage, they have the artillery, the tanks. We defended ourselves in one factory, where the war imprisoned soldiers and civilians in Mariupol. We turn to world leaders to save us, to help us. We ask you to apply extradition procedures to us and take us to the territory of a third country (not Russia and not Ukraine – editor’s note). The Mariupol garrison now numbers more than 500 soldiers, and there are also hundreds of civilians, including women and children. Please ensure our safety on the territory of a third country. Thank you
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