Mariupol: Wives of Azovstal steel plant defenders call situation ‘dire’

THE wives of soldiers still fighting the defend the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol have called on world leaders to demand the release of all those left at the facility.

The wives – Hannah Naumenko, Kateryna Prokopenko, Yulia Fedosyuk, Olga Andrianova, and Daria Tsykunova – said that not only the seriously wounded should be evacuated but rather everyone left inside the Azovstal plant, Mariupol because they are deprived of water, food and medicines.

“The number of wounded is constantly changing, because some are dying and others are being added to them through shelling and bombing. We know that there were some 700 men – now we do not know how many,” they said to reporters on the Espresso TV channel.

On Wednesday, May 4, heavy fighting was heard inside the Azovstal steel plant and despite 101 civilians being evacuated prior to Russian forces storming the facility, more than 30 children were alleged to still be trapped in shelters underneath the besieged plant.

On Friday, May 6, Andriy Yermak, head of President Volodymyr Zelensky’s office reported that “almost 500 civilians had been evacuated” from the steel plant and the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.

The women continued: “Of course, first of all, we need to evacuate the seriously wounded who can die the next day, but we insist on evacuating absolutely everyone. Because it is absurd: today we are evacuating all the wounded and tomorrow we will have two more wounded because there is constant bombing.”

“We need to talk about evacuation, about a corridor for the entire force. It’s the only way we can evacuate a bunch of people. They are still alive, there are wounded, there are combatants who are still alive, there are bodies that need to be removed,” they added.

According to the women, the situation with the wounded is “dire”, as some of the soldiers are missing arms or legs, have broken internal organs and are suffering great trauma.

“Antibiotics are available in very limited quantities for the most important cases. People with amputations are now treated without antibiotics, without antivirals. People with serious injuries are just in pain,” said one of the women.

“They amputate their ends now, even with small injuries and no painkillers, just cut them alive… They do not have any medicine. They have a glass of water for everyone – they make a carpet once for 5-6 years”, she added.

They said that the room in which the hospital is located is very uncomfortable and there is little possibility to provide food or water, which is scarce, while some of the soldiers have developed sepsis, according to the women.

The women are convinced that “military blockade is possible, but there is no time for it” because it is possible for Mariupol when other cities are withdrawn, as reported by pravda.com.ua.

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