The 36th separate brigade of marines named after Rear Admiral Mikhail Bilinsky, standing in defense of Mariupol, has not abandoned its positions and will hold the defense until the end.
The Marines themselves assured the Ukrainians of this in a video message, which is available to the media.
"Glory to Ukraine! We are the defenders of Mariupol, the 36th Brigade of Marines, which held and will hold the defense of this city to the end. We did not surrender our positions, but held every scrap of this city, given our capabilities," the fighters stressed.
The Marines confirm that the city was indeed encircled by Russian invaders, so it was impossible to deliver ammunition and food to them.
However, the defenders assure - they lasted so long thanks to every Ukrainian who believed and continues to believe in the Marines.
"We have remained and will remain faithful always. Ukraine, Europe, and the world must remember the price of this resistance and complete the job - to defend the victory to the end. With faith in victory, always faithful to the end...," the Marines said at the end of the video message.
Journalists confirm that the Ukrainian fighters are not in captivity, alive, but it is not known how long they can hold out, so the count goes to hours.
Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, Valery Zaluzhny, assures that the authorities are doing everything possible and impossible to win, to preserve the lives of personnel and civilians in all directions.
According to him, there is now a stable communication with the units of the defense forces, which heroically hold Mariupol.
"Defensive operations are not a topic for public discussion.Believe in the Armed Forces of Ukraine!" - urged Valery Zaluzhny.
The Ukrainian side assumes that in the future the enemy will try to take control of Mariupol, take possession of Popasna and conduct an offensive in Kurakhovo to reach the administrative borders of the Donetsk region.
The British Defense Intelligence Service predicts that fighting in eastern Ukraine will intensify over the next two to three weeks.
On the morning of April 12, the Ukrainian Defense Ministry suggested that phosphorus munitions might have been used in Mariupol.
At the same time, the United States and the United Kingdom launched an investigation into the incident.
