– We only had days, maybe only hours, Major Volina reached out to her in a phone conversation CNN.
The huge steel mills, one of the largest in Europe, are the center of the fighting in the strategically important port city of Mariupol.
Major Serhag Volina leads one of the groups still fighting inside the steel mills.
– We are defending only one goal – the Azovstal plant – where, in addition to military personnel, there are many civilians who have fallen victim to this war, says Volina.
It is unclear how many Ukrainians are still holding out. Ukrainian authorities say hundreds of civilians are inside the steel plant. In addition, there are an estimated two thousand Ukrainian soldiers.
According to Volina, they are fighting against ten times the number of Russian soldiers.
It is impossible to verify the claims of the Russian and Ukrainian sides about the situation in Mariupol due to the scale of the fighting and the lack of communication.
The monumental steelwork of Azovstal stands out in the background in the Mariupol portrait.
Photo: Alexander Ermoshenko/Reuters
eviction agreement
Russia on Tuesday asked Ukrainian forces in Mariupol to lay down their weapons “immediately”.
This has not happened yet, in part because Ukrainians do not know how they will be treated if they surrender.
The Ukrainians are now requesting international assistance to evacuate civilians and soldiers.
– We beg all world leaders to help us. We ask them to take us out and take us to the territory of a third-party state, says the major.
He says that they can be evacuated by helicopter to a nearby ship or that the ICRC can ensure their safety and follow them outside the area.
Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina announced on Wednesday morning
It is worth noting that there is agreement on a humanitarian corridor for women, children and the elderly.
“Given the catastrophic humanitarian situation in Mariupol, that’s what we want to focus on today,” she said, according to Reuters.
Previous agreements on the evacuation of civilians have not been preserved, so it remains to be seen how many people can be evacuated.
Critical Threats of War and AEI/NRK Study Institute (Updated 20.04.2022)
He says the wounded are rotting
Large parts of the steel mills have now been reduced to a pile of rubble. In addition, there are several kilometers of underground passages within the area.
This makes it difficult for the Russians to occupy the business, but at the same time it makes the conditions unacceptable for defenders.
Major Serhag Volina says there are about 500 wounded soldiers inside the steel mills.
It is difficult to give them medical treatment. He says they are literally rotten.
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