The commander of the 36th Marine Brigade, Major Serhiy Volyna, appealed to Ukraine, the United States, Turkey, and Britain to rescue the military and civilians who remained at the Azovstal metallurgical plant in Mariupol under heavy russian bombing.
In an interview with the American TV channel CNN, Volyn stressed that the situation is "critical."
"I have a statement to the world," Volyna said. "This could be my last statement, because we have only a few days or even hours left. We appeal to world leaders to apply the extraction procedure to the military of the Mariupol garrison, to civilians who are with us here at the steel plant. We ask you to take us to a third country and ensure our safety," the Marine commander said.
Asked how evacuation could be facilitated, Volyna said: "It should be organized at the level of agreements. If we talk about practical aspects, it could be a ship with helicopters, for example, that can pick us up. Or an international humanitarian mission that can come to us, guarantee our security, and accompany us on the way to a state that will make such commitments."
The Ukrainian combatant called the situation at the plant "critical," with many wounded and limited medical care.
According to him, the plant already hosts more than 500 wounded and hundreds of civilians.
"The city is destroyed. Enemy groups outnumber us by tens of times. They have a complete advantage in the air, artillery, equipment, and manpower. We are fighting to the last, but we have very little time left," Major Volyna said.
He declined to comment on the number of troops stationed at Azovstal. "If the world hears us, if the world leaders hear us, as we very much hope, and if the evacuation procedure is carried out, then everyone will get the number of people here in captivity," commander Volyna said.
Yesterday, the adviser to the head of the President's Office, the Ukrainian negotiator Mykhailo Podoliak explained that the siege of Mariupol by russia further complicated the negotiation process, therefore, it was difficult to tell when negotiations could resume.
Earlier, the commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, who now defends besieged Mariupol together with Azov, Major Serhiy Volyna, wrote a letter to Pope Francis urging the pontiff to help evacuate the city's residents and "save them from the hands of Satan."