A Ukrainian commander of one of the last remaining troops in the besieged city of Mariupol has warned in a video that Russian soldiers will kill them if other countries don't help in the war.
Maj. Serhiy Volyna of the 36th Marine Brigade said there were 500 wounded soldiers and many civilians holing up with them at the Azovstal steel plant, which has become the last stand of Russian troops trying to take control of the port city.
The commander posted the video on what appeared to be his Facebook page, saying they are likely facing their last days, if not hours, and pleaded to foreign leaders for help in getting them to safety.
The enemy is outnumbered by 10 to one. Volyna said that the bombing has increased, and they will kill us soon. We appealed to all world leaders to help us. We ask them to use the extraction process and take us to the territory of a third-party state. Volyna also included Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, President Joe Biden, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and Turkish President Recept Tayyip Erdogan in the video message.
The Azovstal complex has become the home of thousands of Ukrainian soldiers, including Ukraine's controversial Azov battalion. At least 1,000 civilians are believed to be in the vicinity of the plant as Russian forces advance into the heart of the city.
The plant has a lot of tunnels and workshops underground, providing defenders with some sort of advantage. Yan Gagin, an official with the separatist Donetsk People's Republic, said the plant had another city underground.
Russian forces have been bombarding the plant with artillery and air raids. The Kremlin has also issued two demands for the Mariupol troops to surrender. However, not a single soldier has surrendered to date.
Russian troops have killed at least 21,000 in Mariupol since it invaded Ukraine in February, according to Ukrainian estimates. Ukraine has reached an agreement with Russia on Wednesday morning that it is planning to send 90 buses to evacuate at least 6,000 civilians from the besieged city.