Marine commander pleads with the Pope to help save the people of Mariupol

Volyna’s letter shared with Ukrainska Pravda.

Text of the letter:

"Your Holiness, Pope Francis!

I am not a Catholic, I am Orthodox. I believe in God, and I know that light always overcomes darkness.

I have not seen your appeals to the world, and I have not read all your recent statements; I have been fighting for more than 50 days, completely surrounded, and all I have time for is a fierce battle for every metre of this city that is surrounded by the enemy.

I am a warrior. I am an officer who took an oath of allegiance to his country. And I am ready to fight to the end. [I do so] Despite the overwhelming force of the enemy, despite the inhumane conditions on the battlefield, the constant artillery and rocket fire, the lack of water, food and medicine.

You have probably seen a lot in your life. But I am sure that you have never seen the things happening to Mariupol. Because this is what the hell on earth looks like.

I have little time to describe all the horrors I see here every day. Women with children and babies live in bunkers at the factory. They are hungry and cold. Every day they are living in the sights of enemy aircraft. The wounded die every day because there is no medicine, no water, and no food.

I am turning to you for help. Because the time has come when prayers are not enough. Help save them. After the bombing of the drama theatre, no one has any trust in the Russian occupiers anymore. Bring the truth to the world, evacuate people and save their lives from the hands of Satan, who wants to burn all living things."

UP remind you:

• Mariupol has been under siege since 1 March, and the Russians are constantly shelling it, trying to take full control of the city.
• President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that talks are underway to help Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol.
• He also said that the killing of Ukrainian defenders in Mariupol could put an end to peace talks with Russia.
• On 17 April, the General Staff announced that the Russian army was probably preparing for a naval landing operation in Mariupol.
• On 16 April, the Mariupol City Council released a video of the destruction of the city taken from a drone, and Reuters released a video of the area around the Ilyich Metallurgical Plant in an area controlled by the Russian army.