Children beg to rescue their fathers from besieged Mariupol steel factory | War Ukraine and Russia

The warriors left behind fight like lions for their survival. “Capitulation is not an option, because Russia is not interested in our lives,” said an officer of the Azov regiment.

The children of the more than a thousand soldiers entrenched in the stronghold of subterranean passages jump in the breach for their fathers. In a video, they beg for their relatives to be taken to safety.

“My father is a soldier of the Azov battalion. He’s fighting for Mariupol and Ukraine, so I’m calling on the international community to rescue my father and the other soldiers from the steel mill,” said an 11-year-old boy.

“Since the beginning of the war, my mother is no longer able to laugh. She cries all the time because she’s worried about my father,” said another boy.

“I ask the whole world to save my beloved uncle and his friends in Azovstal,” a child shouts.

“If something happens to my father, I will not forgive it,” says seven-year-old Anica.

“Save my daddy, save Mariupol. Save all fathers, please,” says a boy.

And also: “I beg you not to leave them there.”

Hundreds of the soldiers left behind are also injured and must be evacuated urgently, Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk reported. “The situation is getting worse by the day,” it sounds.

Mariupol City Council also said at least 100 civilians are still living in the tunnels beneath the extensive site, although it was previously said that all civilians could have left the site.

The Russian army would still attack the complex with heavy equipment. The Azov regiment says many Russian planes have also been sighted over the site in the past 24 hours.

“Our food supply is limited,” said an Azov officer from the basement of the industrial estate. “We still have water left. We still have ammunition left. We will have our weapons with us. We will fight until the best solution to this situation is found.”

Ukrainian church leader Onufri, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church in Ukraine, has also asked President Vladimir Putin to show mercy to the Ukrainians currently hiding in the Azov steel plant. The senior cleric called on Putin to behave like a Christian and allow the surrounded civilians and fighters to flee to Ukrainian-controlled territory or abroad. A third country could serve as a mediator for this, Onoefri suggested.

Maxim Schorin, the former leader of the Azov battalion, has reported that diplomatic negotiations are underway to rescue the Azov forces. At the same time, he also claimed that preparations are underway for a military operation to liberate Mariupol from the Russian blockade. But that takes a lot of time, emphasized Schorin.

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