Ukrainian commander of Mariupol's last stronghold tells Insider that his forces 'won't lay down our

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weapons' in face of Russian siege

The commander of the last Ukrainian forces defending the port city of Mariupol, speaking early this morning from the steel plant under siege by Russian troops, told Insider that he and his soldiers will not surrender.

"We're not even considering that possibility," Major Serhiy Volyna said in an interview conducted via WhatsApp, speaking in calm, measured tones with the voices of his troops audible in the background. "We won't lay down our weapons."

Hours later, Russian President Vladimir Putin called off an assault on the Azovstal steel plant, where hundreds of Ukrainian troops have taken refuge in a network of underground bunkers built by the Soviet Union, saying such a move was "impractical." In a televised meeting, Putin called on the Ukrainians inside the plant to lay down their arms, insisting that Russia would guarantee them "their lives and dignified treatment."

But Volyna, citing Ukrainian soldiers who were killed by Russian-backed forces in 2014 while waving the white flag in the town of Illovaisk, said he did not believe Putin's assurances. In fact, he told Insider, Russian forces continued to bombard the steel plant even after Putin declared that he had "canceled" the assault.

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/ukrainian-commander-of-mariupols-last-stronghold-tells-insider-that-his-forces-wont-lay-down-our-weapons-in-face-of-russian-siege/ar-AAWsyG9