Bombs pierce through the vaulted ceilings of two Azovstal bunkers. One of which housed a field hospital.
That day marked one of the most tragic losses in Azovstal’s defense. A heavy aerial bomb hit the “Magazyn 20” bunker, killing dozens of fighters and medics. Among the dead was sniper-unit commander Vitaliy “Khvat” Blazhko, who had returned to duty after losing both feet in 2019. Administrative clerk Alla Taranina was also killed. Her husband, Vitaliy Taranin, was the head of finance of Azov until he was killed by a Russian aerial bomb in another underground hospital on April 15. SBU Lieutenant Colonel Vasyl “Domakha” Bohach, whose diary extracts we quoted earlier, was killed.
Vasyl “Domakha” with his friend, border guard Oleksiy “Over” Overkin
photo from open sources
Defenders hold an online briefing with the media.
As of now, we are enduring intense shelling. We counted 25 air raids overnight, including by three strategic bombers. They are using artillery, tanks, mortars, snipers, and infantry to storm us. [From February 24 to May 15] we killed 2,500 Russian soldiers and wounded another 5,000 –that's over 15% of their army's military losses. We also destroyed over 60 tanks and damaged another 30 – that's 10% of their losses. We also destroyed 10% of the invaders' artillery systems. Mariupol suffered about 50% of the total bombing. There were days when over 150 aerial bombs were dropped on Mariupol. We received zero support. No air support, no ground support, no artillery support. We were actually abandoned.
As a military historian, I can say no siege in modern history lasted this long with such high enemy casualties and severe civilian losses. What breaks my heart the most is that only small groups are being evacuated. Politicians celebrate small victories, the evacuation of a few dozen or a few hundred people. That said, the Russian army has killed 25,000. [1]
Air strikes on Azovstal
video from representatives of the aggressor country
