Ukrainian soldiers at Azovstal appeal to President Zelenskyy

Roman Petrenko – Thursday, 5 May 2022, 15:19

Sviatoslav Palamar, Deputy Commander of the Azov Regiment, appealed to the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, to take care of the wounded Ukrainian soldiers who remain at Azovstal.

Source: Sviatoslav Palamar on Telegram

Quote from Palamar: "It’s 3 days now since Russian troops broke into the territory of Azovstal. Heavy fighting continues to take a bloody toll. [Ukrainian] defenders have been taking on the overwhelming forces of the enemy one on one for 71 days.

Once again the Russians have broken their promise of a ceasefire and did not allow evacuation of the civilians who continue to hide in the plant’s bunkers.

We are calling on the world to evacuate civilians and I personally appeal to the Commander-in-Chief [i.e., President Zelenskyy] to take care of the wounded soldiers who are dying in agony because of inadequate treatment.

Make it possible to retrieve the soldiers’ bodies, so that the people of Ukraine can say goodbye to their heroes. Respond appropriately to the urgent circumstances in which the enemy flouts all ethical norms, conventions, and laws, killing people before the eyes of the whole world, behaving in a lawless manner and exhibiting a sense of impunity."

Background:

• On the afternoon of Wednesday, 4 May, friends and relatives of soldiers defending Mariupol organised a protest in central Kyiv. They urged the Ukrainian government and the rest of the world to join forces to save Mariupol’s defenders.
• On the evening of 4 May, Davyd Arakhamiia, head of Ukraine’s negotiation delegation and leader of the Sluha Narodu party [Sluha Narodu, or the Servant of the People, is President Zelenskyy’s political party], confirmed that Russian troops have entered the territory of the steel works.
• Earlier on 4 May, Ukrainska Pravda sources reported that Russian troops had been storming the Azovstal plant in the besieged Mariupol for 2 days. Ukrainian soldiers and civilians who have not yet been evacuated remain in the plant’s bunkers.
• During an evening address on Tuesday, 3 May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said he believed that the Ukrainian government would be able to rescue both civilians and military personnel remaining at Azovstal.
• Enver Tskitishvili, Director general of the Azovstal iron and steel works, said that several of the bunkers at the plant are capable of enduring even direct nuclear impact.