They lost their hope and thought they would never escape - the rescued from "Azovstal" share how they survived underground
156 Mariupol residents, who managed to escape ‘Azovstal’, have arrived in Zaporizhzhia. The evacuation group was expected to arrive the day before, but due to the obstacles caused by the Russians, people managed to escape to the territory controlled by Ukraine only today
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Фото: Дмитро Козацький
Hiding in the bunkers, without light or electricity, under constant fire - they spent two months there. Today, a convoy of buses managed to get to the gathering point for the refugees, TSN reports.
They spent 60 days underground, as only there, in deep bunkers, could they hide from russists’ bombs. "The military helped us, they brought food. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn't be here, " the survivors claim.
14-year-old Vova says they managed to survive underground only with the help of the Ukrainian military. They shared food, water and medicine. They provided the generators, so that at least the light bulb could be turned on. ‘Azovstal’ in Mariupol turned out to be one of few places where it was possible to hide from the destructive firing of the Russians. The boy's father stayed at the plant. "We stayed there for about two months, I don't remember the exact date. We arrived with my mother on the 6th or 7th. Dad brought us there. He said it was the safest place so far. So we hid there and did not see the sun for two months. We didn’t leave the bunker. My father is in the military, he is out there,’ the boy says.
Now the Russian military is storming ‘Azovstal’. Civilians from ‘Azovstal’ say there is a huge number of dead and wounded. "We lost our hope at one moment, to be honest. We thought that everyone had forgotten us and we would never escape. We are grateful to all our soldiers who stayed there. Boys, our thoughts are with you. We are ready to do anything to get you out of there," Nadiya, one of the survivors, said.
The negotiations on the evacuation of civilians from the ‘Azovstal’ plant were extremely difficult. As a result, 156 people were taken by buses out of the plant. But there are still hundreds of people with children, hiding under fire. "We did not manage to take everyone out from under the ruins. We kept saying that we need another day or two for a special operation. Today, we are completing the first stage and moving on to the second one immediately. We will not leave anyone who wants and can escape, everyone gets a chance, " Iryna Vereshchuk, the Minister for Reintegration of the Temporarily Occupied Territories of Ukraine, claimed.
Passing through 26 enemy checkpoints, from Mariupol to Zaporizhzhia - the evacuation of refugees from Mariupol lasted for more than three days. "You should take into consideration that the Russian side is dictating its terms! Of course, we can go and say things, but tomorrow we would have to negotiate the release of our people at the state level again,’ Oleksandr Starukh, the head of the Zaporizhzhia Regional Military Administration, explains.
More than 50 buses made the convoy that left Mariupol. On the way back, a few stops were required to take people who wanted to escape the occupied towns and villages. However, only four buses with civilians have reached Zaporizhzhia. Others were intended for refugees from Berdyansk, Tokmak, and Vasylivka. People had to get into empty vehicles, but the occupants did not allow them to do so.
Those who were lucky to escape the hell are now trying to get used to the silence in the air. First, people are provided with the food and all the necessary things - from linen, shoes and diapers to ration packs and toys for the kids. Today, people have to be accommodated for the night. Then, most of them will go to the western borders, but some will stay. The terms of the next operation to rescue people from ‘Azovstal’ will begin to be discussed tomorrow.
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