“I want to say that the elimination of our army, our guys, will put an end to all negotiations,” the Ukrainian President said. “That will be an impasse as we don’t negotiate neither our territories nor our people.”
Video of Azov forces attacking Russians in Mariupol, seems like a dozen plus killed https://t.co/3zei1oxqRY
— ELINT News (@ELINTNews) April 18, 2022
According to a video released by the Azov Regiment’s commander Denys Prokopenko last week, they chose to stay behind because retreating and surrendering was “choosing the path of shame” and claimed that “real men who chose the path of war” were still adamant on defending what is left of the city. During this video, he sat beside Serhii Volyna, commander of the 36th Marine Brigade, a unit that managed to link up with the Azov Regiment to make their last stand.
Last reports in Mariupol state that the Ukrainians have since launched a counterattack against the Russian forces who have surrounded them.
“The defence [sic] of Mariupol continues. Despite the overwhelming forces of the enemy, the Azov Regiment fighters launch [a] counter-attack,” a Twitter account linked to the Azov stated.
Videos of the counterattack circulating on the internet show that the remaining Ukrainians have taken on the Russians in the streets, slowly moving through portions of the city and ambushing them. Another video shows a Ukrainian soldier being a few feet away from unsuspecting Russians in what seems to be an unarmored vehicle. He goes on to throw a grenade directly onto the Russian soldiers.
#Mariupol. The Azov Regiment fighters counterattack. Orcs demonstrate phenomenal combat cohesion – they redirect grenades at each other ..#Ukraine #UkraineRussiaWar #UkraineRussia pic.twitter.com/A9NMh1PYaf
— Flash News (@flash_news11) April 18, 2022
The Ukrainians have also made extremely good use of the underground tunnels in the steel plant to effectively navigate their way around Russians.
“They have transformed the thick concrete tunnels criss-crossing the entire enclave into a fortress,” a Ukrainian army colonel said. “That’s where they are resting, where they can move without risk, and from there, they can launch attacks on the troops surrounding them.”
The founder of the Azov, Andriy Biletsky, has said that about 2,000 Ukrainian troops remain in the city, most of which come from the Azov Regiment, the 36th Marine Brigade, some members of the 56th Infantry Brigade, and a number of volunteer fighters.
“As for how they survive, Mariupol is a big city, and there are a large number of big buildings made of reinforced concrete and steel and a large number of underground passages,” he told the Financial Times.
If the Ukrainians cannot hold on to Mariupol, the Russians will take control of the first major Ukrainian city ever since the war started. It also means they can establish the long-coveted land bridge connecting Russian-controlled Crimea and mainland Russia, effectively cutting off the Ukrainians from a large portion of their coastline.
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