The wives of two of the combatants at the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol pleaded with Pope Francis to save their husbands.

“You’re our only hope.” I’m hoping you’ll be able to save their lives. “Please don’t let them die”; Kateryna Prokopenko, 27, said in a video posted by Reuters following the pope’s public audience at the Vatican.

Prokopenko and Yuliya Fedosiuk, 29, also requested him to speak directly to Russian President Vladimir Putin on their behalf, saying that “Russian captivity is not an option.”

Last month, the women came to Rome to raise awareness about the plant’s situation. The Azovstal steel complex in Mariupol, the southern port city currently under Russian control, is the last bastion of resistance. Water, food, and medicine are running out at the facility, which has been hit by strikes for weeks. According to a city adviser, Russian tanks and personnel attempted to enter the castle on Wednesday.