A brigade of Ukrainian marines defending Mariupol said they're running out of ammunition, and face 'death for some, captivity for others'

Cheryl Teh
Updated ·2 min read
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  • A brigade of Ukrainian marines fighting in Mariupol said they are running out of ammunition.

  • The 36th Brigade said they were "dying, but fighting" even without food and water supplies.

  • They also said that half their group comprised a "mountain of wounded."

A brigade of Ukrainian marines defending the city of Mariupol said on Monday that they are running out of ammunition after nearly seven weeks of fighting.

"We have been defending Mariupol for 47 days. We were bombed by airplanes, we were shot at by artillery and tanks. We kept up the defense by doing the impossible. But any resource has the potential to run out," said the 36th Brigade in a Facebook post.

The group said they were initially equipped with guns at the beginning of the conflict, but have not received any additional ammunition since.

"For more than a month, the Marines have fought without refills of ammunition, without food, without water," they wrote. "The mountain of wounded makes up almost half our crew."

"The enemy gradually pushed us back. They surrounded us with fire, and are now trying to destroy us," the post read.

The post noted that surviving brigade members are now defending the Azovstal iron and steelworks plant near Mariupol's port.

The marines added that the men whose limbs were unbroken and "not torn off" had returned to the ranks to fight. With no infantrymen left, the group said that artillerymen, cooks, drivers, and even orchestra musicians have been involved in shootouts with Russian forces.

"We are dying, but fighting. But this is coming to an end," the post read. "Today will be another extremely difficult fight. Ahead lies death for some, captivity for others. Dear Ukrainian people — we ask you to remember the Marines."

"Do not talk badly about the Marines. We have done everything we could, the possible and impossible. We are FAITHFUL FOREVER," the post added.

The marines' post came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy estimated that "tens of thousands" of Ukrainians may have died in Russia's attack on Mariupol.

Images captured by photojournalists in the city have shown the destruction of schools, maternity hospitals, and even a movie theater — acts that Zelenskyy has labeled "war crimes" that will be remembered for "centuries to come."

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