Videos shared by social media pioneers showed the massive destruction in Mariupol.
On Wednesday, Russia issued a new ultimatum to Ukrainian fighters still held in Mariupol, to surrender.
A Ukrainian presidential adviser said late on Tuesday that Russia had bombed the Azovstal steel plant, the main remaining stronghold in Mariupol, with bunker-busting bombs.
“Maybe we will face our days, if not our last hours,” a commander of the Ukrainian Marine Corps said in Mariupol, pleading in a video he posted on Facebook early Wednesday to get them out.
“The enemy is outnumbering us by ten to one,” said Sergey Volina of the 36th Marine Brigade, which is holed up in the Azovstal plant, adding in a video clip: “We appeal and implore all world leaders for our help,” and continued, “We ask them to use the procedure for removing the troops and transferring us to third party area.
Volina explained that the Russian forces “have an advantage in the air, artillery, forces on the ground, equipment and tanks,” noting that the Ukrainian forces “defend only one target, the Azovstal plant, where, in addition to the military, there are civilians who have fallen victim to this war,” according to “AFP” “.
Western support
The United States, Canada and Britain have promised to send more artillery weapons to Ukraine.
“We will continue to provide them with more ammunition, and we will provide them with more military assistance,” White House spokeswoman Jen Psaki said, adding that “new sanctions are being prepared.”
Multiple sources told Reuters that US President Joe Biden is expected to announce a new military aid package, the same size as last week’s $800 million package, in the coming days.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called for a four-day humanitarian pause at the end of next week, when Orthodox Christians celebrate Easter, to allow civilians to escape and humanitarian aid to be delivered.
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