Our last days’: Ukraine commander in Mariupol appeals for help

Leader of Ukrainian marines in besieged city appeals for extraction as Russian forces close in

A commander for the Ukrainian marines fighting Russian forces in Mariupol says his forces were “may be facing our last days, if not hours”, as Russia issued a new ultimatum to fighters holding out inside a steel plant in the besieged city.

“The enemy is outnumbering us 10 to one,” Serhiy Volyna from the 36th Separate Marine Brigade said as he appealed for extraction from the last stronghold in Mariupol in a Facebook post early on Wednesday.

Hundreds of civilians are believed to be sheltering in the basement of the besieged Azovstal factory, a vast plant with underground tunnels.

According to Russian information Qazet.az reports that, some 2,500 Ukrainian fighters and 400 foreign mercenaries are holed up in the steelworks, while Ukrainian reports say approximately 1,000 civilians are said to have sought protection there.