The commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, Major Serhiy Volyna, wrote a letter to Pope Francis where he asks for help to save the people of Mariupol.
“Your Holiness, Pope Francis!
I am not a Catholic, I am Orthodox. I believe in God and I know that light always overcomes darkness.
I have not seen your appeals to the world and I have not read all your last statements. I have been fighting for more than 50 days in complete encirclement and all I have time for is a fierce battle for every meter of the city, which is surrounded by enemy.
I am a warrior. I am an officer who took an oath of allegiance to his country. And I’m ready to fight to the end. Despite the overwhelming force of the enemy, despite the inhumane conditions on the battlefield, constant artillery and missile strikes, lack of water, food and medicine.
You have probably seen a lot in your life. But I am sure that you have never seen that what is now happening in Mariupol. Because that’s what hell on earth looks like.
I have little time to describe all the horrors I see here every day. At the factory, women with children and babies live in bunkers. In hunger and cold. Every day in the crosshairs of enemy aircraft. The wounded die every day because there is no medicine, no water, no food.
I appeal to you for help. Because the time has come when just prayers are not enough. Help to save these people. After the bombing of the drama theater, nobody trusts the Russian invaders anymore. Tell the truth to the world, evacuate people and save their lives from the hands of Satan, who wants to burn all living things.”
Mariupol, the point of no return. My 20 days of war. Part 1
We remind:
Mariupol has been under siege since March 1, and the Russians are constantly shelling it, trying to take full control of the city.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyi said that talks were under way to help Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol.
He also said that the extermination of Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol could put an end to peace talks with Russia.
On April 17, the General Staff of Ukraine announced that the Russian army was probably preparing for a naval landing operation in Mariupol.
Source: Ukrainska Pravda
