Russians fire on the steel plant Azovstal from warships and drop bunker-buster bombs on it. Sviatoslav Palamar, one of Mariupol's defenders and deputy commander of the Azov Regiment, told about this to the BBC in a comment.
He emphasized that such bombs cause huge destruction. There are wounded and dead inside the bunkers. Some civilians remain trapped under collapsed buildings. Entrances to some of the bunkers are blocked by heavy concrete slabs that only heavy machinery could move. Civilians are hiding in basements containing 80-100 people each, and there are small children as young as three months old.
When asked how many Ukrainian defenders remained in Mariupol, Capt Palamar answered simply "enough to repel attacks".
Palamar appealed for civilians to be given safe passage out of the steelworks and called for a third country or an international body to act as a guarantor for their safety.
"These people have got through a lot already, through war crimes. They don't trust russians, and they are scared," Palamar said.
He added that Ukrainian defenders also wanted to secure their own evacuation if possible - but there could be no question of surrender.
"As for surrender in exchange for the safe way out for civilians, I hope we all know whom we are dealing with. We definitely know that all guarantees, all statements of the russian federation are worth nothing", Palamar said.
A small part of Mariupol remains unoccupied by russians. The Azovstal plant houses the Azov Regiment, marines, law enforcement officers, border guards, and civilians, including the wounded.
Enemies interfere with the normal evacuation, constantly shelling the city and assaulting it. This week, the commander of the 36th Marine Brigade, which together with the Azov Regiment is defending Mariupol, Major Serhiy Volyna appealed to world leaders to apply the procedure of withdrawal of the military of the Mariupol garrison and civilians hiding at the plant. He noted that this may be his last statement, as the defenders "have only a few days or even hours left."
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that there are two ways to save people from Mariupol: by force, if we have weapons, or by negotiations. However, russia is not yet capable of diplomacy.
Yesterday, russian president Vladimir Putin ordered Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu not to assault the Mariupol industrial zone. At the same time, Putin ordered to block the territory of the city. According to russian media, he said that the occupiers should save their lives and not "climb into the catacombs."
On the same day, russians began dropping bombs on Azovstal.