A Ukrainian Marine, hidden in a steel plant in Mariupol, told Sky News that they were 10 outnumbered by one of the Russians who surrounded them.
This comes when President Vladimir Zelensky vowed that Ukraine would have “ended the war” by now if it had enough weapons.
Major Sergei Volina, who has taken on the role of spokesman for his unit, said conditions at Azovstal’s steel plant were dire, but insisted the mood remained high.
“Fighters defending Mariupol continue to fight in high spirits,” he said in a video message to Sky News.
“It is clear that there are many killed and wounded …” he continued.
Commander issues “final announcement” from steel plant – live updates in Ukraine
Image: Sergei Volina sent a video message to Sky News
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“More than 500 fighters need medical care, which is impossible to get here. It’s an underground refuge, so people rot. But we are still functioning and we continue to design people. “
The Russians have been saying for days that they are on the verge of gaining full control of the key port city, but units of the Ukrainian Marines, as well as the Ukrainian army’s Azov Battalion, are holding them back.
Metalworking, considered an industrial site of this type in Europe, has become the site of the last stand of Ukrainian forces in the city.
Major Volina told Sky News: “Regarding the claims of the Russians that they will take over Mariupol very soon, yes, it is possible.
He admitted: “It’s very realistic.”
“The number of fighters on the other side is ten times greater. Their equipment is much more recommended than ours. Tanks, artillery, aviation.”
Photo: View shows the plant of the metallurgical plant Azovstal in Mariupol
Asked about the civilians who were seen on video footage taken by Azov’s soldiers at the steel plant, he said: “Many civilians are hiding in our bomb shelter. Among them are women with children and babies. They also need help because they are trapped, constantly under artillery and bomb fire.
Major Volina, of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, told The Washington Post earlier that his troops at the plant would continue to “conduct combat operations and carry out our military tasks until we receive them.”
Mariupol Mayor Vadim Boychenko said on Wednesday that about 100,000 civilians remain in the city, adding that he hopes 90 buses will be sent to the besieged port city to evacuate about 6,000 women, children and the elderly.
Russia said on Tuesday that about 120 civilians living near the Azovstal plant had been evacuated.
Russia has again issued an ultimatum to other troops to surrender with an apparent ceasefire proposal – but Sky’s Deborah Haynes of Ukraine says it looks like it will be rejected once again.
The repositioning of Russian troops to the east
Russia has recently begun repositioning and reinforcing its troops in eastern Ukraine after failing to take control of the capital, Kyiv.
If successful, Russia’s offensive, known as Donbass, will essentially cut Ukraine in two and give Russian President Vladimir Putin a much-needed victory.
But according to the MoD, Russia’s ability to advance continues to be affected by “logistical and technical challenges” as well as “the resilience of Ukraine’s highly motivated armed forces.”
Explanation: Where and how the battle for Donbass can be won or lost
The Ukrainian commander issued what could be the “latest announcement” from the steel plant
One of the areas targeted was the eastern city of Kharkiv, where at least four people were killed and 14 wounded in a shooting Tuesday night.
Kharkiv “will not fall under Russia”
However, the head of Ukraine’s security service said the region would not fall into Russia’s hands as Ukrainian forces were better prepared for battle.
“We managed to withstand the first and most terrible assault and now the whole country understands it [the dangers]men are mobilized, people can and do know how to fight and understand what to do, “said Roman Dudin.
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3:06 The battle for Donbass begins
Read more: • The battle for Donbass – What would a Russian victory in the east mean • “I can’t lose my country now”, says a commander fighting in the east • Goodbye like no other – families fleeing Russia’s latest push
“They [Russian forces] I don’t understand that no one wants them here. Children, the elderly, men, women. Even the ducks don’t want to see these occupiers here. So death will be waiting for them from every corner, from every opening, “he added.
Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, has been under attack since the start of the war.
The eastern city of Kramatorsk has also come under fire, with Russia claiming missiles hit areas around Zaporozhye and the Dnieper west of Donbass.
Ukraine “ignores ceasefire proposal”
In the devastated port city of Mariupol, a key target for Putin’s forces, Ukrainian troops said the Russian military dropped heavy bombs to level what was left of the steel plant and struck a hospital where hundreds were staying.
Tens of thousands of people have been trapped in the city without access to food or water, and Ukraine estimates that more than 20,000 civilians have died there since the start of the war.
Image: Russia’s Defense Ministry says it has called for a ceasefire around the Azovstal steel plant
Russia’s Defense Ministry said it had called for a ceasefire around the Azovstal plant on Wednesday, but said no Ukrainian troops had accepted the offer.
“The war would end if Ukraine’s weapons coincide with Russia’s”
Late Tuesday night, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky used his daily address to warn that the Russian military was throwing everything into the battle for the eastern part of the country.
He called on the international community to provide more military assistance to Ukraine, saying that if there were weapons that were “comparable” to those used by Russia, then the war would be over.
“We would restore peace and liberate our territory from the occupiers, because the superiority of the Ukrainian military in tactics and wisdom is quite obvious,” Zelensky said.
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He added that the situation in Mariupol remained “unchanged” and “extremely difficult”, accusing the Russian army of blocking humanitarian corridors to prevent civilians from fleeing the city safely.
“The deliberate killing of civilians, the destruction of residential neighborhoods, civilian infrastructure and the use of all kinds of weapons, including those prohibited by international conventions, is the way the Russian military is acting,” he said.
“It is this malice that for generations will mark the Russian state as a source of absolute evil.”
The United States, the United Kingdom and Canada have pledged to send more military weapons to the war-torn country, and the White House has said new sanctions are being prepared.
The move by the three countries came after a call from allied leaders to discuss the need for additional economic and humanitarian aid to Ukraine.
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