Captain Palamar, who remains on the steelworks premises, told the BBC that the steelworks had also been shelled by ship’s cannons.
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“All the buildings in the Azovstal area are practically destroyed. They dropped heavy bombs, bombs to destroy bunkers that caused widespread destruction, “Palamar said, adding that” they have wounded and dead in the bunkers. Some civilians have been trapped under collapsed buildings.
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The entrances to some bunkers were blocked by large pieces of concrete, which only heavy machinery could remove.
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Steelworks Azovstal
Photo: Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
Palamar emphasized that civilians were always far from the fighters in several places. They were usually in the cellars of eighty to a hundred people. They do not know their total number, because some buildings were destroyed and others could not be reached due to constant shelling.
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“We keep in touch with those civilians who stay where we can go. We know there are small children among them, some even just three months old. “
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A member of the Azov Regiment called for the creation of a security corridor through which hidden people could leave, while their safety should be supervised by third countries.
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“These people have been treated, they are victims of war crimes. They do not trust the Russians and are frightened, “he explained why their evacuation should be overseen by an independent country. They fear that the Russians could torture or murder them or take them to Russia.
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Ironworks Azovstal
Photo: Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
According to him, the elderly people have run out of medicine and there are about 500 seriously injured defenders on the premises, who are waiting in vain for the necessary medical interventions, including amputations. “After 52 days of blockade and heavy fighting, we are running out of medicine. We are also storing the unburied bodies of our fighters, which we need to bury with respect in the territory controlled by Ukraine. “
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The captain added that even the defenders would like to leave if possible, but they will definitely not give up, they do not believe in Russian guarantees. “We all know who we are dealing with. We definitely know that all the guarantees, all the statements of the Russian Federation mean nothing. “
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Smoke over the Azovstal iron and steelworks
Photo: Alexander Ermochenko, Reuters
He doesn’t want to leave alone. “I have always said that as long as we are here, Mariupol remains under Ukrainian control.”
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