The commander of the final Ukrainian forces defending Mariupol's port city, speaking early this morning from a steel plant under siege by Russian troops, told Insider that he and his soldiers will not surrender."We are not even considering that possibility," Major Serhiy Volyna said in a WhatsApp interview, speaking calmly and measuredly with the voices of his troops audible in the background. "Our weapons will not be laid down."
After hours of deliberation, Russian President Vladimir Putin called off an assault on the Azovstal steel plant, where hundreds of Ukrainian troops have taken refuge in a network of Soviet-era underground bunkers, declaring such an action "impractical." Putin urged Ukrainians inside the plant to lay down their arms in a televised meeting, insisting that Russia would ensure their "lives and dignity."
However, Volyna stated that he did not believe Putin's assurances, citing Ukrainian soldiers killed in 2014 while waving the white flag in the town of Illovaisk by Russian-backed forces. Indeed, he told Insider, Russian forces continued to bombard the steel plant despite Putin's declaration that the assault was "canceled.""The shelling has slowed slightly, but it is still ongoing," Volyna said. "We are fighting to the death. The adversary has an advantage in terms of equipment, supplies, personnel, weapons, maneuverability, artillery, sea and air power — in short, everything."
Ukraine claims Russia detained relief workers in a Mariupol convoy (Associated Press)Volyna, who has been fighting in Mariupol since February's Russian invasion, told Insider that "hundreds" of civilians, including women and children, are huddled with his forces inside the plant. Numerous individuals, he stated, are injured and require medical attention. With Russia now blocking access to the plant, those inside are forced to choose between starvation and surrender to forces that have already killed unarmed civilians. Russia has attempted numerous times in vain to capture the heavily fortified plant, employing troops, artillery, and air strikes.Russia and Ukraine are in talks to coordinate the evacuation of civilians from Mariupol, but similar plans have failed elsewhere. Volyna stated that civilians within the steel plant are skeptical of the plan after witnessing Russian forces attack residential buildings and a maternity ward.
"They have no faith in the Russians, and they have no faith in the green corridors," he said, referring to evacuation routes. Volyna stated that what was required was an international community-supervised extraction.
"It is possible to restore life to soldiers and civilians who have been subjected to a 56-day siege," he stated. "While we await assistance, we are compelled to turn to the outside world."
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