Members of Ukraine’s Azov Battalion, trapped at the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, said they feared they would be executed if captured by Russian forces, as they begged Ukrainian authorities to help organize their extraction.
Speaking to the media from inside the besieged steel factory, the commander and lieutenant of Azov, looking thin and pale, said they had defended the city for the people of Ukraine and the rest of the world and needed a third party to negotiate its release, whether or not by land or sea.
It is estimated that there are 2,000 soldiers in the plant, 700 of whom were injured.
Lieutenant Iliya Samoilenko vowed to fight, saying that his comrades understood that they would be executed if captured and that the surrender would be a “gift” to the enemy.
“We are witnessing Russian crimes,” Samoilenko said. “Surrender is not an option because Russia is not interested in our lives.
Aerial view shows shelling at the Azovstal steel complex in Mariupol. Photo: Azov Regiment / Reuters
All civilians who were at the plant were evacuated, according to Azov commander Denis Prokopenko.
“We need an appropriate opportunity to be evacuated,” said Svyatoslav Palamar, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment. “Another thing that hurts is that the politicians said that you continue (the fight) while we evacuate the civilians. But we (are) here to protect people. “
They criticized the Ukrainian government for celebrating the evacuation of several dozen civilians in recent weeks, while failing to prepare Ukraine for the past eight years for what they see as an inevitable war with Russia.
“The government has allowed this to happen to 25,000 people,” Samoilenko said, referring to the number of civilians in Mariupol he said had died.
Azov’s forces say they are more than 100km from the nearest Ukrainian forces and cannot reach safety without help from Ukrainian authorities.
The Azov Battalion is central to Russia’s justification for invading Ukraine. Russia claims that its members are neo-Nazis who are responsible for “nacifying” Ukraine.
Azov fighters say membership has a number of political views. Azov was formed as a volunteer battalion in 2014 to fight Russian-backed forces, and some of its leaders are known for their far-right views. But since 2015, he has been part of the Ukrainian army and no longer attracts only far-right fighters.
Russian propaganda has long exaggerated Azov’s internal influence in Ukraine, as well as the scale of its membership.
Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine has transformed the image of the fighters in the eyes internationally and in Ukraine. Many see them as heroes.
“We (are) defending the people here.” Deputy Commander of the Azov Battalion Svyatoslav Palamar. Photo: Azov / Reuters
Samoilenko said they felt supported by words, but called for air strikes against Russian positions and rebuked Ukrainian authorities for not defending Ukraine’s southern regions.
“We are doing our job and we are doing a good job. “Some of the politicians are not doing a good job,” said Samoilenko, who also said Azov had killed 2,500 Russian soldiers from February 24th to April 25th.
Samoilenko said the world’s weak response to Russian aggression in 2014 was one of the reasons for the invasion. He said Western countries should have realized that the price of prosperity in Europe has been 15,000 Ukrainian lives in the last eight years, targeting the 2014-2022 war.
He said the West had refused to help the battalion for the past eight years. Some of those who led Azov in the beginning as a volunteer battalion in 2014 were far-right. The battalion was enlisted in the Ukrainian army in 2015 and its members are now politically pluralistic.
“We have shown that anything is possible,” Samoilenko said. “Please do your job so we can teach people how to do the impossible.”
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Samoilenko also criticized the Ukrainian government for negotiating with Russia, describing them as “barbarians.” He said Azov’s goal was to eliminate the enemy’s threat by appeasing Russia and that they were fighting not only for Ukraine but for the entire free world.
Samoilenko declined to say how many soldiers remained at the plant or to talk about their deliveries, saying it was classified intelligence. The fighters say morale is still high, although they have come under almost constant shelling.
“We are grateful for the support of the world and this can help,” Samoilenko said. “People saw who we were.”
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