Since March, the city of Mariupol has been besieged by Russian strikes. However, and until proven otherwise, she is still under the Ukrainian flag. The last pocket of resistance of the Ukrainian fighters is at the Azovstal steel and metallurgical complex.
Beneath the rubble, this complex has miles of underground galleries. And the Ukrainian fighters refuse to surrender. Like Svyatoslav Palamar, who is part of the Azov regiment, a controversial military coalition, because founded by a neo-Nazi and known for its links with the far right. “I always say that as long as we are here, Mariupol will remain under the control of Ukraine”he said for the BBC.
This Thursday, Vladimir Putin called off the assault on the steelworks while ordering his troops to seal it off instead. “Block off this industrial area so a fly can’t get through”said the Russian president.
Palamar is one of the last fighters in the complex. Although, according to him, “they are still enough to repel enemy attacks”. The commander also mentioned the chaotic situation on the spot. “All the buildings on the territory of Azovstal are practically destroyed. The Russians drop heavy bombs, bunker-breaking bombs which cause enormous destruction. Inside the bunkers we had to mourn several deaths. Not least because ‘they get stuck under collapsed buildings.”
According to the Ukrainian, there are not only soldiers in the bunkers. “We stay in contact with the civilians who remain in places we can reach. We know that there are children as young as three months old”he added. “These people have already suffered a lot, war crimes. They don’t trust the Russians and they are afraid.” He also claims that these individuals are afraid of the torture that might be inflicted on them if they were to surrender. Difficult to estimate the number of civilians who are in its tunnels. Especially because some are blocked because of destroyed buildings.
All these Ukrainians do not have the resources to treat themselves. “After 52 days of blockade and intense fighting, we lack medicine. And then, we also have many bodies of our fighters that we must bury with dignity in the territory controlled by Ukraine.”
Finally, Svyatoslav Palamar asked for help from international countries in order to get these civilians out of the rubble. While distrusting the enemy like the plague: “As for surrender in exchange for safe evacuation for civilians, I hope we all know who we are dealing with. We definitely know that all the guarantees, all the statements of the Russian Federation are worth nothing It neither renews nor rebuilds anything, it aims to destroy, to terrorize. If we fall, this horde will go further and the entire civilized world will be in danger.“
By way of conclusion, he assured that the Ukrainian defenders also wanted to ensure their evacuation but that there was no question of surrendering.
During this war, Ukraine and Russia are engaged in a communication war. The BBC says it has not been able to verify the truth of this disturbing account. On the other hand, it ensures that it is consistent with other testimonies received at the beginning of the week.
