The Russian forces have been targeting firefighters, healthcare personnel, and civilians in their homes and shelters. In return, the Azov fighters eliminated Mityaev, a Russian general.
On March 9, Ukrainian journalists praised the outstanding work of the State Emergency Service in Mariupol in a television news broadcast. The very next morning, the Russians attacked the city's central district: they destroyed the building of the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service of Donetsk Oblast located on Mytropolytska Street along with its firefighting machinery. Major Oleksiy Pankov of the Civil Defense Service of the State Emergency Service was killed. The attack also caused damage to residential buildings, and a shell exploded in Teatralna Square.
photo by the National Police of Ukraine
photo by the National Police of Ukraine
photo by Olena Suhak
On March 10, when the active phase of airstrikes began, we were very scared. We didn't even go to get water until March 14, that is, for almost four days. We didn't leave the house as that was what happened when you did so: one house was gone, disappeared, the other was damaged. We were terrified to step outside. [1]
Aftermath of a Russian strike on Myru Avenue near Teatralna Square in central Mariupol. Photo by Alevtina Shvetsova
video from open sources
Several of our fighters guarded the hospital but there were no vehicles there, and there was not a single shot fired from the hospital. Women in labor were delivered there after the Russians bombed the maternity ward. My colleagues tried to save a woman and her child. They tried to reanimate the child until they dropped, even after the death was obvious. People had nervous breakdowns.
On March 10, the Russians attacked a fire station next to the hospital. Many of our surgery rooms were damaged, only three were available. We ceased formal casualty log-keeping, the anesthesia card became our main document. Sometimes we just used a marker to write the name on the skin, though often enough we didn't even know the name.
On March 10,Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced that he had evidence of numerous crimes committed by the Russian military against civilians. Polish President Andrzej Duda was one of the first EU leaders who called the actions of the invaders in Ukraine a genocide.
Минобороны заявило о двух постановочных взрывах у больницы Мариуполя
В российском оборонном ведомстве считают, что у мариупольской больницы произошли два «постановочных взрыва», а заявление об авиаударе украинская сторона сделала для поддержания «антироссийского ажиотажа».
To article →I was impressed by Sasha Tsaryok, the director of “Komunalnyk.” I deeply respect him. He turned out to be a unique person, an intellectual. Recently, he was appointed head of the Kalmius District, and he always acted appropriately. When it was impossible to use the roads after the shelling due to everything being covered with branches, garbage, and broken glass, he just said: “We will clear them.” After the shelling, his employees traveled around the district, cleaning it up. It was a very strong move. When he was leaving Mariupol, he even apologized for not staying with us. [2]
On March 10, I guess, after a morning meeting, I was informed that it was impossible to evacuate people who had gathered near the Budivelnykiv Palace of Culture (Livoberezhnyi District) due to debris on the roads. The police could not get there, the metal on the streets would cut their tires. We had four large Ford street sweepers with metal brushes and vacuum cleaners. We took two of them. Our column was headed by an armored police car, then I drove a service car, followed by two Ford vehicles. If I saw wires hanging from the posts, I ran out and cut them off with special cable cutters. The police went to evacuate civilians on Pashkovskoho Street, and we carried on clearing that street to Mezhova [the eastern border of the city], then to Peremohy Avenue, clearing the lanes on both sides there, and then we drove along Azovstalska Street.
The shelter in the Palace of Culture had a capacity of 700 people but there were 1,780 people from the very beginning. That number was constantly growing, as the facility director gave the order to let in anyone who wanted to take cover. Later, two artillery shells hit the building, one of which did not explode. The men carried it out into the street so that it would not harm those inside.
When the building was destroyed, the Azov fighters and National Guardsmen came and evacuated those who agreed. There were fierce battles around: our military fought for every building but were forced to retreat. When the Russians captured the area, they brought buses and forcibly took everyone to Russia.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
photo by MAXAR
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
The Budivelnykiv Palace of Culture after a Russian strike
That day, Ilage Veliyeva, an Azerbaijani journalist, made a Facebook post with a story by the Associated Press about a mass burial of Mariupol residents. [3]
In the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, workers are hastily burying dead in a mass grave under constant Russian shelling. A deep trench about 25 meters long, dug in an old cemetery in the city center, was filled with bodies collected by municipal and social workers.
Some residents brought bodies wrapped in rugs or plastic bags. Forty bodies were brought on Tuesday, another thirty on Tuesday. They were civilians and soldiers alike, killed during the shelling of the city, as well as those who died of disease. The number of burials is growing, however, the number of mass graves is unknown.
Having analyzed the video, the “Skhemy” investigative program identified an area – near the Historic Necropolis Cemetery in the center of Mariupol. [4]
Братські могили, розбомблені будинки та черги за питною водою — репортаж із Маріуполя
Маріуполь кілька днів перебуває під постійними обстрілами російських військ. Люди ховаються у підвалах та сховищах. Зелені коридори для гуманітарної допомоги та виїзду жителів на безпечні території — також обстрілюють. Відтак місто на порозі гуманітарної катастрофи.
To article →In the morning, the Azov Regiment’s detachment went to reconnaissance the “gray zone” north of the sinter plant. At the plant, they saw traces of a large enemy group in the snow and followed them, taking breaks for short ambushes on their route. About an hour later, the detachment encountered six Russians and eliminated them as they were leaving the building. The Azov fighters continued to check the plant and eliminated about 15 more invaders, including Major General Oleg Mityaev, the commander of the 150th Motor Rifle Division. He had a punctured lung, and despite their best efforts, the doctors failed to save the life of such an important prisoner. Later, a more experienced and better-equipped group came looking for the general. The Azov fighters were warned about the enemy's approach, so they repelled the attack and captured an enemy sniper.
The corpse of General Mityaev, photo by Azov
During that period, the coastal part of the private sector neighborhood south of Morskyi Boulevard was a “gray zone.” The enemy tried to get from the shore to the high-rise buildings along it. We were drastically short of people, so our positions were dispersed at very large intervals.
On the morning of 10 March, the Russians advanced at the intersection of Morskyi Boulevard and Ukrainian Cossack Street from all sides, and our forces requested sniper reinforcements. Our snipers Petro “Kit-Kat” Korol, Oleksandr “Muzykant (Musician)” Li, and a driver Dmytro “Zil” Bezkorovaynyi went to aid them.
Petro “Kit-Kat” Korol and Oleksandr “Muzykant (Musician)” Li, photo by Azov
The snipers worked well. Muzykant radioed to request permission to return. Because we had intel about a possible enemy breakthrough in the private sector from the direction of the sea, our route to Azovstal was along Azovstalska Street. Previously, we had moved along Morskyi Boulevard, however, due to the threat, we decided to travel along the further northern road.
For unknown reasons, the L200 with the snipers drove along Morskyi Boulevard. When they did not return to the permanent station, I gave an order to put the quadcopter in the air. We saw our car near building No. 44. It turned out that an enemy group had been there. When they came under fire, the Azov fighters managed to shoot back, but they were killed.
On March 11, a combined group of Azov scouts and snipers was tasked to recapture a residential compound on Morskyi Boulevard. Captain Roman Potishka and Major Vitaliy “Khvat” Blazhko commanded the battle. The same day, buildings No. 40/1 and 42 were liberated. The next day, KORD, a Ukrainian police special forces unit, joined the operation, and the enemy was driven out of buildings No. 44 and 46. 12 enemy fighters surrendered.
Pickup truck of the fallen sniper group on Morskyi Boulevard, photo by a representative of the aggressor state
О том, что все преступления в Мариуполе совершаются запертыми в городе украинскими нацистами из батальона «Азов», заявили в Минобороны
Там же сообщили, что никаких задач по поражению целей на земле в районе Мариуполя российская авиация не выполняла. А фейковые фотоснимки содержат свидетельства двух отдельных постановочных взрывов.
To article →In the morning, the “Nike” position reported small-arms combat and an enemy attempt to flank them. Ihor “Derek” Mykhailyshyn, Personnel Officer of the 2nd Azov Battalion, was on duty there with three officers of the 21st Separate Public Order Protection Brigade. For about forty minutes, before reinforcements arrived, Derek was alone repelling attacks from 360 degrees. The National Guardsmen hid in the basement and were reloading his magazines. According to the Azov fighter, he fired about 6,000 rounds from his issued stock AK-74 during that battle. Ihor Mykhailyshyn would die on March 20.
Ihor “Derek” Mykhailyshyn, photo by Azov
