A leader of the Ukrainian Marine Corps defending the last stronghold of Ukrainian forces in the besieged city of Mariupol stated, "We might be facing our last days, if not hours." In a video posted on Facebook early Wednesday, Serhiy Volyna from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, which is holed up in the large and besieged Azovstal plant, appealed for their evacuation from the area. He said, "The enemy outnumbers us ten to one."
In the video, he pleaded and called on all world leaders to help them, saying, "We ask them to use procedures to extract the troops and transport us to a third-party area." It is not possible to verify any information provided by either side due to the intensity of the battle and lack of communications in Mariupol.
Russian forces are believed to have gradually penetrated the city, and some Ukrainian officials mentioned on Tuesday that a hospital near the Azovstal plant was directly hit. Volyna indicated that Russian forces have "superiority in the air, artillery, ground troops, equipment, and tanks." He added, "We are defending only one goal... the Azovstal plant, where, in addition to military personnel, there are civilians who have fallen victim to this war."
On Tuesday, Russia issued another ultimatum for Ukrainian forces in Mariupol to lay down their arms "immediately," stating that the Ukrainian troops inside the Azovstal plant face a "catastrophic situation."
