Ukraine commander at Mariupol steel plant asks world leaders to 'come & save us' amid war

As Russia intensified its attack in eastern Ukraine, the last commanding Ukrainian officer remaining in Mariupol with troops has shared a video saying his forces are outnumbered and may only survive for hours. According to NBC News, Major Serhiy Volyna said that he revealed that there were about 500 wounded soldiers along with many civilians at the Azovstal steel plant, the last stand for Ukrainians in the besieged city.

In the video, Commander Volyna stated that he, along with his 36th Marine Brigade and with Ukraine's Azov Regiment troops, were hiding in the plant. In the video, Volyna highlighted the ongoing situation and urged foreign leaders to help his country in the fight against Russia. 

Ukraine commander says 'facing our last days, if not hours' in Mariupol, begs for help

"We are probably facing our last days, if not hours," he said. "We appeal and plead to all world leaders to help us. We ask them to use the procedure of extraction and take us to the territory of a third-party state," he added.

It is pertinent to mention here that Mariupol is considered a strategically important city in southeastern Ukraine that shares a border with the Azov Sea and is located 35 miles away from the Russian border. Mariupol has been a target of Russian attackers since mid-March, and seizing full control over the port city would be a major victory for Russian forces as they continue to attack the Donbas region. According to Ukrainian officials, tens of thousands of people have died in the city due to continuous attacks, shortages of food, heat, and medicine for weeks, while some have managed to flee.

Recently, Russian forces demanded the last Ukrainian soldier's surrender, but Volna rejected the call. However, Russia extended the deadline for surrender until Wednesday at 2 pm. In the video, Volyna stressed that the Russian forces are advancing with superior military power and are bombarding the plant from the air. "This could be the last appeal of our lives," he said. Although the Ukrainian government did not send any military aid to Mariupol, Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Wednesday that the government is making efforts to evacuate 6,000 civilians who are stuck in the besieged city.