On May 20, 2022, Ukrainian forces, led by the Azov Regiment that had resisted Russian forces for nearly three months, laid down their arms and exited the Azovstal steel plant. There were then about 2,500 soldiers remaining in Azovstal, of whom a quarter to a third were wounded. Here's a look inside the plant. Story by Natalie Liu. Photos by Dmytro Kozatsky, Azov Regiment, Ukrainian National Guard.
Amid Ruins of Azovstal, Images of Pain and Sacrifice
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Among the defenders of Mariupol and Azovstal were a number of women soldiers. (Dmytro Kozatsky, Azov Regiment, Ukrainian National Guard)
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"When our fighters get their third, fourth injury … one lost his finger, the other one got a serious knife injury and they tell me, ‘Commander, I’m ready to continue to fight' - it’s hard to describe with words," Denys Prokopenko told an interviewer in April.
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This photo of a wounded soldier taken inside Azovstal was released to the press on May 10, 2022, as the defenders called on the Ukrainian government and the international community to not only hail the defenders of Mariupol as heroes but "do something" to protect the soldiers, their wounded and their fallen comrades.
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A wounded soldier inside the Azovstal steel plant. (Dmytro Kozatsky, Azov Regiment, Ukrainian National Guard)
