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The son is in Azovstal: – The Russians want them as trophies, at any cost

Soldiers trapped in the Azovstal steelworks in the besieged city of Mariupol are completely separated from the outside world and all supply lines. They are fully aware that every day can be their last.

Last hope

They have no military opportunity to fight their way out of the steelworks with their own help, and their last hope is that help will come from outside. Preferably in the form of a political solution.

Inside the steelworks come video messages and pictures describing the desperate need for help. There are reportedly 600 wounded soldiers who must be evacuated.

IMPRESSED: Pictures published by the Azov Battalion in the steelworks show wounded soldiers who are missing an arm or leg or who have injuries to their face, and who also live in very unhygienic conditions.

On the outside, a group of relatives are fighting a desperate battle for the lives of their loved ones. One of them is the mother of Illya Samojlenko, who is the Azov battalion’s intelligence officer, Alla Samojlenko.

MOTHER: Alla Samojlenko during the interview with TV 2.

He often acts as a spokesperson when the battalion speaks from the steelworks to international media.

– When I talk to him, I ask if he can tell what I am allowed to know. I do not ask what they eat, if they have more weapons, how long they can stand against the Russians, if they hope to be saved, and so on, Samojlenko tells TV 2.

Illya Samojlenko fought with Azov at the front from 2015 to 2017. Then he was badly injured. He lost a hand and an eye, and was close to death. After a year of rehabilitation, he was back in service and went on a mission in Mariupol on February 20, four days before the invasion.

– I sincerely hope that their military prowess allows them to survive. They are well prepared and they understand what they are doing, she says.

She says the imprisoned soldiers are now actively contacting the media and politicians to get attention about the situation. This is the tiny hope they cling to.

TROUBLE: Hundreds of soldiers are still hiding in the Azovstal steelworks.  Many of them critically injured.  Photo: Azov Regiment

TROUBLE: Hundreds of soldiers are still hiding in the Azovstal steelworks. Many of them critically injured. Photo: Azov Regiment

Was expelled when they warned

– It’s a bit absurd. It was these boys who tried to convince everyone that a great war was on the way, and they met with much condemnation. They were expelled from society, criticized for their rhetoric and perceived as radical and aggressive. And now we see that they were right, she says.

The Azov Battalion is a controversial group. Many of the soldiers have a background in the nationalist far right, but they are now part of the Ukrainian National Guard. The National Guard can be compared with the Norwegian Home Guard.

– Why did Illya choose to serve for the Azov Battalion?

– My son, like me, was interested in history. He played military strategy games, and it developed into a great interest in recent history. He knew a lot about weapons, military aircraft, tanks and firearms. Later he was trained so well that he joined a group that trains others. It was logical that they ended up in Azov, she says.

SOLDIER: Illya is here under happier circumstances.  Photo: Private

SOLDIER: Illya is here under happier circumstances. Photo: Private

Azov focuses on motivated soldiers, and their training follows NATO standards.

– Outside Ukraine, the battalion gets a lot of attention, and one wonders how Ilya and the others can maintain such a strong will to fight and resilience. What can you say about that?

Well prepared

– That’s his character. Maybe he has it from me, because I’m also a stoic person. Panic or destructive thoughts are not common to me. He was the way you see him since he was born. I just gave him freedom, says his mother.

She also emphasizes the extensive training, thorough preparation and psychological help the battalion receives.

TRAINING: An archive photo from 2015 shows recruits in the Azov battalion being tested before being sent east towards the front.  Photo: Reuters / Gleb Garanich

TRAINING: An archive photo from 2015 shows recruits in the Azov battalion being tested before being sent east towards the front. Photo: Reuters / Gleb Garanich

– It is an extremely motivated and strong fighting unit that knows how to fight the enemy. Although they have limited resources, they have destroyed ten percent of the Russian equipment that has entered Ukraine since the war began.

– Not saving such an effective unit is criminal, I mean.

She has high thoughts about her son. She describes him as very intelligent, well educated, and a person with a strong sense of justice. He is also a good writer and speaker, according to his mother.

DEMONSTRATES: Maria Zimareva's brother is one of the soldiers in the Azov battalion that is trapped in Azovstal.  Here she is exhausted after participating in a demonstration in Kyiv to demand that a rescue operation be launched to get the soldiers out.  Photo: Reuters / Carlos Barria

DEMONSTRATES: Maria Zimareva’s brother is one of the soldiers in the Azov battalion that is trapped in Azovstal. Here she is exhausted after participating in a demonstration in Kyiv to demand that a rescue operation be launched to get the soldiers out. Photo: Reuters / Carlos Barria

– What do you think could be the solution for the soldiers in Mariupol?

– It feels like a scene from the movie “Do not look up”: When the Russians prepared the war, when no one thought it would happen, when they did not evacuate Mariupol, Alla says.

– The soldiers in Mariupol have been asking for help since the beginning of March. That was before a hundred kilometer long attack front was established. Theoretically, they could be released and Mariupol could be evacuated. It did not happen, she says.

They kept the desperate situation a secret until a month ago in the hope that the Ukrainian authorities would find a solution for them. Now they feel that they have been waiting for help that never came, and they believe the politicians have failed them.

AZOVSTAL: A satellite image from May 12 shows the destruction of Azovstal.  Photo: Maxar Technologies

AZOVSTAL: A satellite image from May 12 shows the destruction of Azovstal. Photo: Maxar Technologies

– Only a special operation with the participation of influential countries or NATO, can help with the evacuation of soldiers now. The countries that have not broken ties with Russia can help: Turkey, Israel, China, potentially also Greece. Otherwise we need a miracle, says Samojlenko.

– Want a trophy

Several hundred civilians who were also trapped in the steelworks have been evacuated. Three Azov soldiers were killed and six injured during these evacuations because the Russians broke the ceasefire.

As the intense attacks continue, Alla Samojlenko is convinced that the Russians will have the Mariupol garrison as a trophy, at any cost.

– How do you feel when you talk to your son now?

– I try to see signs that can give me reason to think positively. I never dig deep. I occasionally send him articles written about him, and occasionally he comments on them. He never panics, and he stimulates me to put panicky thoughts aside, she says.

– My only wish is that he will get out alive. That’s it. When I talk to him, I see, and I feel, that he is not going to die.

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