Direct speech

My husband saw how the children were torn from a tank shot in front of their mother, how a man lost consciousness from his own cries. His heart broke together with their hearts each time. And from above, the aircraft worked incessantly, leading to rage.

Read here Mariupol: the city is on the verge of health and sanitation "catastrophe"

And in such conditions the regiment of defenders of Mariupol learned to survive, save, and defend the country. Every day is a plot for a movie that I would like to forget forever. They punched the occupiers in the mouth incessantly, day and night.

Now Azovstal is in the hands of the occupier, but it bites, defends, gets tired. And we are watching this. Relatives are watching, the state is watching, the world community is watching. And the occupier feels his strength, enjoys the deaths and tears of Ukraine watching this.

Volodymyr, defender of Azovstal / Photo provided by his wife

Background

The President Volodymyr Zelenskyy noted that the operation to save the defenders of Mariupol was launched by our military and intelligence. The procedure of getting the defenders back to home is in progress, but it takes delicacy and time. Zelenskyy stressed that Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes come back alive - this is our principle.

The defenders of Mariupol did not let 20,000 occupiers to reach other directions. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine stressed that the defenders of Mariupol are heroes of our time who have been engraved in Ukrainian history forever. Among the fighters are:

  • Separate Special Purpose Detachment,

  • 12th Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine,

  • 36th Separate Marine Brigade,

  • Border guards,

  • Police,

  • Security Service of Ukraine officers,

  • Volunteers,

  • Territorial Defense Force of Mariupol.