Ukrainian fighters rescued an Associated Press film crew. A Spetsnaz GRU (Russian special forces) unit was eliminated by Azov.
On March 12, Mykola Nikonov, the legendary commander of the Mariupol Detachment of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center, went missing near Hospital No. 2. During the enemy breakthrough in this direction, Nikonov and the unit's warrant officer went to investigate the situation. The Russians were by garages 100 meters west of the hospital, and their armored vehicles were approaching the medical facility.
On the morning of March 13, a group of fighters from the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center advanced to the hospital. In the yard between the main building and the blood transfusion station, they found the Toyota Prius belonging to the Patrol Police, which Nikonov had been driving, with a flat tire. There was no other damage and no traces of blood inside the car. Having taken the Prius to the permanent station, the special forces returned with a larger group for a more thorough search. They split into groups and searched all the floors and facilities. They found the bodies of Mykola Nikonov and Chief Petty Officer Vyacheslav Bohucharov in the temporary hospital morgue.
The situation near the blood transfusion station, video from representatives of the aggressor country
When they were leaving the morgue, the Ukrainian forces encountered enemy infantry. Gunfighting erupted at distances of less than 10 meters. The Russian forces retreated and sent an employee of the blood transfusion station as a negotiator. He reported that there was almost a company of Russian special forces at the station. The chief doctor also asked the Ukrainian military not to start a fight in the hospital so as not to put patients and healthcare personnel at risk.
Associated Press journalists Mstyslav Chernov and Yevhen Malolyetka, were at the hospital at the time. The photos and videos they took might have remained unknown if that day had gone differently. Fortunately, the group of the 73rd Naval Special Operations Center managed to get the journalists to a safer place, and the scene was included in the “20 Days in Mariupol” documentary.
After Hospital No. 2 was captured, the Russians positioned tanks and APCs between its buildings. These vehicles were randomly firing at the nearby 9-story buildings. Once, the tank turned its turret toward the main building of the hospital and made a shot. The shell hit the ward in the neurosurgery department, where the wounded were being treated. After the explosion, the ceiling slabs collapse into a Vshaped wedge. The wounded in beds near the walls survived but it was impossible to reach them. A bit later, a crew member of the Russian tank ordered the head of the neurosurgery department to take him to the place of impact. Having approached the ward damaged by the explosion, he looked under the slabs where the wounded were still moaning. He said, “Fuck it, it will collapse at any moment,” turned around, and walked away.
Later, Russian propagandists claimed that Hospital No. 2 had long required repair. However, the hospital had been repaired shortly before the war began, and modern equipment was installed in the department. The invaders would take that equipment to Donetsk.
Mariupol Hospital No. 2 before Russian capture
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
We were drastically short of manpower to set up a tight defense perimeter from the sea to Tahanrozka Street [about 6 km]. We were being attacked from many directions at once. The enemy probed our defense, the sabotage and reconnaissance groups were constantly trying to detect our forces and machinery positions. One day, a column of armored vehicles flying Ukrainian flags was driving from the village of Vinohradne to our rear, and our forces got confused. At the time we had a line of defense set up along Azovstalska Street. We also partially controlled the territory around the Cathedral of St. Michael the Archangel and the coast (almost to the Na Zubok restaurant).
We started trying to find out who they were and where they were going. The next day or the day after, another column broke through but along a different route. We used the drone and learned that the Russians were gathering around building No. 2 in Hravernyi Lane. So, we surrounded them and hit them with mortars. They suffered heavy losses, a lot of their vehicles were destroyed, but they refused to surrender. They fought very professionally. Each action was accompanied by a comment: “Grenade!”; “RPG!”; “Sector!”; “Covering!”; “Reloading!” They were highly experienced.
The activity of Russian aviation should also be noted. Their planes were bombing the area around the building and leveling everything to the ground. They were incredibly precise: perhaps they used some beacons. On the third or fourth day, some enemy vehicles broke through to the building, though only to evacuate those who still survived there. Some were already in civilian clothes. They had civilian clothes under their camouflage uniforms: we saw this on their KIAs who remained in the building or fell from the vehicles during the evacuation.
Fighters of the Azov Special Reconnaissance Platoon recall:Early in the morning, we were informed that the enemy was using five BTR-82A APCs, two Typhoon MRAPs, and seven Tiger APCs to break through our battle formations and had occupied a five-story dormitory at the intersection of Leporskoho Street and Hravernyi Lane. As it turned out later, 60-70 fighters from the 346th GRU Guards Brigade and the 810th Marine Brigade had gained a foothold there.
A combined group of 13 fighters of the Azov Special Reconnaissance Group and five fighters of the 1st Azov battalion was gathered. They were supported by a BTR-3E APC, a BTR-4E APC, and the T-64B1M main battle tank of Mikhailo “Chup” Chuprin. They surrounded the enemy and kept fighting until dark. During the day, Azov's artillery and the combined group destroyed or damaged all the enemy's armored vehicles. Three armored personnel carriers were burned up by Chup and his crew. Senior Lieutenant Maksym “Danya” Danylov eliminated a Tiger APC with an RPG-7, and Junior Lieutenant Denys “Byk (Bull)” Tkalych eliminated a BTR-82A APC. Captain Roman “Pashtet” Potishko, the commander of the combined group, was severely wounded in battle and was later awarded the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, 3rd grade.
On the night of March 13-14, the Azov Special Reconnaissance Platoon eliminated ten Russian fighters in a gunfight. The next morning, the fighters of the 1st battalion started mopping up the enemy there.
video by Azov
Andriy “Sokyra (Hatchet)” Kharkov [killed in action on March 23, 2022], Azov S-3 chief, destroyed one Typhoon-K MRAP of the Spetsnaz GRU during their retreat from Hravernyi Lane. Despite his non-combat post, he went to meet the enemy column with an RPG.
photo by a representative of the aggressor state
photo by Azov
An Azov fighter recalls. They were a great crew. Real tigers. I remember, once, when they were hit by a mortar (I was also wounded then, the Russians were very actively attacking us), they drove this APC away on its three remaining wheels and used it as a stationary firing position. When necessary, the gunner would run out of the building, fire the vehicle's 14.5-mm turret gun, and then run back. That APC was later burned up. The driver died at an observation post on March 13 after being hit in the neck by a sniper. I heard over the radio that he was “black” [KIA]. A bit later, his status changed to “red” [critical condition]. However, evacuation was impossible, and later I heard: “Status – black” again.
On March 13, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu, announced that his country had appealed to Russia to evacuate Turkish citizens from Mariupol. The Ankara government was apparently moved by the shelling of the Mariupol mosque built in honor of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roksolana, where more than 80 people were hiding, including many Turkish citizens. This episode launched a long history of Turkey's participation in negotiations to save the residents and defenders of Mariupol.
That same day, Pope Francis called for an end to the slaughter in Mariupol but never specified the addressee of his appeal.
Папа Римський публічно закликав РФ "припинити різанину" у Маріуполі
Папа Франциск у своїй публічній промові в річницю свого обрання на престол зробив заяву на підтримку України.
To article →Without communication, we were living in a black hole. A total information vacuum. There were rumors and people interpreted these in various ways. There were again conspiracies that Azov was responsible for shelling. At least use some logic: compare Azov's numbers, and the amount of shelling from all sides, from the sky, from the sea. Or some other conspiracies, like all this was happening because Russia was very angry with Azov. If Azov surrendered, everything would cease.
Украинские националисты насильно удерживают в Мариуполе сотни тысяч человек
Украинские националисты насильно удерживают в Мариуполе сотни тысяч мирных жителей, сообщил начальник Национального центра управления обороной Российской Федерации генерал-полковник Михаил Мизинцев.
To article →We were very lucky with water. I later learned that there were people who almost died of thirst, that was awful. We were living close to the Strumok drinking water production facility, so we went there to get water. Five-liter bottles were a terrible deficit, beyond money. I took every vessel to collect water. Water was drawn from the well with an electric pump. We had water only when the police or military brought a generator. They pumped water for themselves, and we also tried to get some. That's how we survived.
Our life came down to making a fire, and finding some water and food. We knew that it would all come to an end. We were told that there was a natural spring somewhere but I never made it there due to the shelling. I knew it was dangerous for me to risk myself as well as the lives of two other people and four animals depending on me. They would not have survived on their own. [1]
