Defenders of Mariupol gave a press conference from the blocked Azovstal
Defenders of Mariupol gave a press conference from the blocked Azovstal plant, which continues to be defended by Ukrainian fighters.
Azov Regiment Lieutenant Ilya Samoilenko answered journalists’ questions. At the beginning of the briefing, Deputy Commander of the Azov Regiment Sviatoslav “Kalyna” Palamar spoke about the current situation at the Mariupol plant. You could find important messages and quotes from defenders.
“The capture of Mariupol has been going on for the last 2.5 months. The situation is unprecedented in history. Such a siege and such a capture have been going on for so long, as never before in history, with so many casualties among military enemies and significant losses among the civilian population. What breaks my heart the most is the evacuation of small groups. Politicians note small victories — the evacuation of dozens and hundreds of people, while more than 25,000 people were killed by the Russian army.”
Ilya Samoilenko, Azov Regiment Lieutenant
“So far, according to my own estimates, we have destroyed almost 2,500 enemy personnel and wounded more than 5,000. This is 15% of the total enemy losses in Ukraine. We also destroyed up to 60 tanks and damaged about 30. This is more than 10% of Russia’s total tank losses. Almost the same situation with infantry fighting vehicles, and artillery installations — there is more than 10%. And only one unit that inflicted these losses on the enemy is a unit in Mariupol. I will also note that more than half of all airstrikes and sorties by enemy aircraft fell on Mariupol. Somewhere up to 150 flights.”
Ilya Samoilenko, Azov Regiment Lieutenant
“We thank you for having managed to negotiate, we thank the international organizations that intervened, and we look forward to further actions. We expect a sharp condemnation of the Russian Federation. And drastic action to end the ceasefire. We still have a lot of wounded servicemen and we are crying out for help, they need to be allowed to evacuate first.”
Svyatoslav Palamar, Deputy Commander of the Azov Regiment
“The truth is that we are unique. No one expected us to stand so long… Many people say we are heroes. Many call us heroes… We do our job. We had an order to defend Mariupol. We did not have an order to withdraw the defense.”
Ilya Samoilenko, Azov Regiment Lieutenant
“The weak reaction of the West is one of the reasons for what is happening now. If you do not repel an aggressor, such as an attacker on the street, he will rob you. Conversations with them do not work, pleading won’t help. Only repulse. Even if you are weaker.”
Ilya Samoilenko, Azov Regiment Lieutenant
“We are at war with an enemy who carries terror and barbarism, their main goal is to destroy Ukrainians. The enemy is behaving inhumanely, violating all the rules of war. ”
Defenders of Mariupol
“I want to ask you to sign a petition ‘Save Mariupol’ that we have created recently. We need publicity, so ask your friends, relatives, and acquaintances who may sign the petition and spread it. We do not lose hope for the salvation of our soldiers.”
Kateryna Prokopenko, the wife of Azov Regiment commander Denis Prokopenko
