"Azov" has killed 2.5 thousand invaders and 60 of their tanks since the beginning of the war

DENYS KARLOVSKY — SUNDAY, MAY 8, 2022, 03:26 PM

According to the command of the Azov Regiment participating in the defence of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol have destroyed 2,500 Russian soldiers and 60 tanks.

Source: intelligence officer Illia Samoilenko during a press conference of the defenders of Mariupol from the Azovstal plant

Samoilenko's Quote: "According to my own calculations and calculations of units here, as of 1 May (the Azov press service corrected that as of 24 February to 15 April - UP), we have killed almost 2.5 thousand enemy personnel. More than 5,000 have been wounded, which is 15% of the total losses of the enemy in Ukraine.

We’ve also destroyed up to 60 tanks and damaged about 30. This is more than 10% of Russia's total tank losses. The situation is almost the same with infantry fighting vehicles and artillery installations - there it’s more than 10%.

And only one unit has inflicted these losses on the enemy - here in Mariupol. And I also want to point out that more than half of all air strikes and sorties by enemy aircraft (of the total in Ukraine - ed.) have been launched at Mariupol. Somewhere up to 150 sorties.

And we got zero support - no air support, no artillery or ground support. We were basically left alone."

Details: The officer added that he himself did not expect that they could hold out for so long. On 8 May, the 73rd day of the war and defence operation in Mariupol continued.

Samoilenko said that since 2014, the training of military personnel has been based on the best worldwide experience. The command was looking for examples from the best military theorists.

For more on this, read also: Commander of "Azov" Denis Prokopenko (Redis): We did everything possible and impossible to deflect the superior forces of the enemy

We don't need words, we need actions. What mothers and wives of defenders from Azovstal say

Vadym Boichenko: What could be worse than hell? But this is, and this fortress is called "Azovstal"

Background :

• The defenders of Mariupol said that at the beginning of a large-scale war, the commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, Volodymyr Baraniuk, tried to break through with part of the military equipment, but was captured. The leadership of the Ukrainian forces notes that it is impossible to break out of the encirclement without external military support or a diplomatic agreement on a safe exit. Russian propagandists showed a video of the captured Baraniuk.
• Ukrainian defenders accused politicians of cynicism and of using the topic of evacuation from Mariupol for public relations and called for the immediate start of the evacuation of the military.
• In an evening address on 7 May, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that the Ukrainian authorities, together with international organisations, are planning to evacuate wounded soldiers and medics from the territory of Azovstal in Mariupol.
• Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk reported on the evening of 7 May that all civilians who remained in Azovstal's underground bomb shelters had been safely evacuated.
• President Zelenskyy has warned that the killing of those hiding at Azovstal by the Russians, including the Ukrainian military, will be grounds for breaking off negotiations.