Last bastion in Mariupol: cries for help from the steelworks bunkers
Created: 04/30/2022, 11:18 am
By: Lucas Maier
The Ukrainian war shows its worst side in Mariupol.
In videos from the Azovstal steelworks, those trapped are now calling for help.
Mariupol – Damp, dark and cramped: the bunkers of the Azovstal steelworks in Mariupol are anything but designed for permanent residence.
Numerous civilians, including many children, have been staying there for weeks.
Russia repeatedly attacks the steelworks in south-eastern Ukraine.
Vladimir Putin's troops always drop bombs over the vast compound.
Special forces have tried to storm the plant several times, but so far without success.
So far, the Ukrainian soldiers have not complied with calls to surrender.
But the situation is getting worse, as videos show.
Many of them are circulating on Telegram, among others.
War in Ukraine: Soldiers release videos from the bunkers
The last independent journalists left Mariupol about a month and a half ago due to the poor security situation.
In various videos from the Azovstal bunkers, people keep calling for help.
These are shared by the Azov battalion.
Most of the trapped soldiers belonged to the Azov regiment.
Azov regiment
The Azov Battalion is part of the Ukrainian Army.
The combat association is repeatedly criticized for its right-wing extremist attitude.
The political orientation is already reflected in the battalion's coat of arms.
This one features a black sun: a symbol used by right-wing extremists around the world.
It also shows a wolf rod.
A symbol formerly used by the SS.
There are also countless right-wing extremism allegations against the battalion.
At the beginning of the Ukraine war, however, the task force is said to have published a paper that names the crimes of the Holocaust as such, but this has not yet been verified.
The Azov regiment was founded as a volunteer combat unit in 2014.
The Ukrainian ambassador to Germany, Andriy Melnyk, was recently criticized for supporting the ultra-right Azov regiment.
The videos not only show the catastrophic conditions in the bunkers.
They also show the people trapped crying for help: they are turning to the world population with a request for evacuation.
In addition to the New York Times, numerous other international media report this.
An aerial view of the steel mill site in Mariupol.
© Maxar Technologies/AFP
Ukraine war: Last bastion of Mariupol - evacuations have failed so far
However, it remains questionable whether an evacuation will take place.
There have already been several attempts to set up escape corridors from Mariupol.
They all failed.
So far there has been heavy fighting between the Ukrainian and Russian armies on the evacuation routes.
There was no guarantee of safety there.
A temporarily agreed cease-fire was interrupted.
It ended in mutual finger pointing.
"It's damp and moldy everywhere, the children sleep on jackets.
We had to make diapers out of plastic bags.”
Mother in steel mill bunker according to New York Times
In one of the videos, many children can be seen, a girl grins at the camera and says: "We want to see the sunshine".
In the same video, a young mother describes the catastrophic situation in the bunker.
Not even the laundry dries here because it's so damp, she complains.
This is not a good place for children, emphasizes another mother, they cannot learn here and have no prospects, she continues.
War in Ukraine: Many injured in Mariupol bunkers
But not only children suffer from the situation in the Mariupol steelworks.
There are also many injured people in the bunkers, as can be seen in the videos.
Recordings published on social networks show poorly treated wounds.
As early as Tuesday (April 26), the Azov regiment said 500 were injured in the bunkers.
Their authenticity could not be verified any more than the videos of the Azov regiment.
However, it remains to be seen whether further rescue attempts will be made from the Mariupol steelworks.
(lm)