Russian tanks are besieging the building of the Azov Battalion in Mariupol, Ukraine, shelling the last fortifications.Figure: Extracted from Tencent.com
Russian troops stormed into Mariupol, an important city in eastern Ukraine, and bombed the shelters of Ukrainian civilians at the Azov steel plant, demanding the surrender of all personnel in the plant. Katerina, wife of the battalion commander Prokopenko, is eager to call for another “Dunkirk”-style retreat from the West.
The mayor of Mariupol, Vadim Boichenko, said: “If Mariupol is hell, then the situation at the Azov Iron Works is worse than hell.” Hundreds of civilians have taken refuge, but the living conditions have deteriorated as the place has been shelled by the Russian army for days and there is a serious shortage of supplies. Children can only wear “diapers” made of tape and plastic bags and sleep in a damp and moldy environment.
The wife of the Azov battalion commander Roko Penko’s wife, Katerina, called on the West on April 29 to assist the evacuation of the Azov steel plant and a “Dunkirk-style evacuation”. Katerina said she was seeking help from Europe, the United States and international organizations to find a diplomatic solution to the impasse at the Azov steel plant, but stressed that the Azov battalion would never surrender to Russia.
At a recent meeting in Moscow, UN Secretary-General António Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed to arrange for the evacuation of people from the Azov steel plant, the UN said. The UN and the International Committee of the Red Cross will also be involved. The discussion, however, was dominated by civilians, excluding the Ukrainian military.
The Russians continued to shell Ukrainian troops at the Azov battalion and saw the fighting as “a morale boosting goal”. According to Sputnik, a soldier of the “Donetsk People’s Republic”, which Russia recognizes as independent, claimed: “When I saw Slavyansk (in eastern Ukraine), a destroyed city, wounded children. At that time I understood that this was the real Great Patriotic War.”
Russian troops stormed the important city of Mariupol in eastern Ukraine and bombed where Ukrainian civilians took refuge at the Azov steel plant
Katerina, the wife of the battalion commander Prokopenko, made an urgent call for another Dunkirk-style retreat from the West.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and Russian President Vladimir Putin agree to arrange evacuations from Azov steel plant
Black smoke billows from the Azov steel plant in the center of Mariupol after the attack.Figure: Retrieved from People’s Vision
The Azov battalion that was standing at the Azov Steel Plant.Photo: Reprinted from Privy Council No. 10