One of the last defenders in Mariupol tells the BBC conditions are dire but they won't surrender.
Svyatoslav Palamar, from the controversial Azov regiment, says Mariupol was and will stay Ukrainian
Capt Palamar said the Russians had fired on the steel plant from warships and dropped "bunker-busting" bombs on it. The Azov regiment was originally a far-right neo-Nazi group that was later incorporated into Ukraine's National Guard. Its fighters along with a Marine brigade, border guards and police officers are the last Ukrainian defenders left in the city.When asked how many Ukrainian defenders remained in Mariupol, Capt Palamar answered simply "enough to repel attacks".
The fighter appealed for civilians to be given safe passage out of the steelworks and called for a third country or an international body to act as a guarantor for their safety. "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 also wanted to secure their own evacuation if possible - but there could be no question of surrender.
"I witnessed how this city was developing. How this city became the pearl of Azov and it's a hometown for me as well," he said.
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