One of the last Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol told the BBC that the besieged steelworks where they are holed up is entirely devastated above ground, while people are trapped beneath collapsed structures.

Svyatoslav Palamar of the infamous Azov regiment stated that they had repulsed rounds of Russian strikes from the Azovstal facility, the remaining uncontrolled portion of Mariupol.

“I always say that as long as we are here, Mariupol remains under control of Ukraine,” he said.

President Vladimir Putin had already ordered his forces to seal off the steelworks, which are a tangle of tunnels and workshops.

“Block off this industrial area so that a fly can not pass through,” he said.

Weeks of Russian shelling and street warfare have largely wrecked Mariupol. Taking the Sea of Azov port would allow more Russian forces to join an operation in the eastern Donbas.

Captain Palamar stated that Russian vessels fired on the steel complex and dropped “bunker-busting” bombs.

The BBC has been unable to corroborate his claims. But that jibes with a Ukrainian marine commander’s statement earlier this week that fighters were outnumbered and out of supplies.

“All the buildings in the territory of Azovstal are practically destroyed. They drop heavy bombs, bunker-busting bombs which cause huge destruction. We have wounded and dead inside the bunkers. Some civilians remain trapped under the collapsed buildings,” Capt Palamar said.

As a result, the Azov unit became part of the Ukrainian National Guard. A Marine brigade, border guards, and cops are the remaining Ukrainian defenders in the city.

In Mariupol, Capt. Palamar said there were “enough Ukrainian defenders to repel attacks.”

He stated that people were separated from fighters.

He claimed they were in basements with 80–100 individuals each, but it was unknown how many civilians there were in total because several buildings had been damaged and fighters were unable to access them due to bombardment.

“We keep in touch with those civilians who stay in places that we can get to. We know that there are small children there as young as three months old, “he said.

The fighter demanded that a third country or an international agency ensure the safety of civilians leaving the steelworks.

“These people have got through a lot already, through war crimes. They don’t trust Russians, and they are scared,” he stated, adding that they feared Russian troops torturing and murdering them or deportation to Russia via filtration camps.

The steelworks had elderly citizens in need of medication, and over 500 critically injured warriors who needed significant surgery, including amputations.

“After 52 days of blockade and heavy fighting we are running of medicines. And then we also keep unburied bodies of our fighters whom we need to bury with dignity in Ukraine-controlled territory,” he said.

Capt. Palamar said Ukrainian defenders sought to ensure their own escape, but no capitulation was conceivable.

“As for surrender in exchange for the safe way out for civilians, I hope we all know whom we are dealing with. We definitely know that all guarantees, all statements of the Russian Federation are worth nothing.“

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