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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
World
Matthew Dresch

Ukraine marines 'surrounded' by Russians as cooks and musicians ordered to fight

Ukrainian marines say they are surrounded by Russian soldiers in the besieged city of Mariupol.

The 36th marine brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces said it is now relying on cooks, drivers and other non-combat troops to fight the Kremlin's soldiers.

It comes as Kyiv estimated that tens of thousands of people had been killed in the Russian attack on Mariupol.

Much of the city has been devastated by Russian bombs, including the Mariupol theatre, where hundreds of people were killed.

The 36th marine brigade of the Ukrainian armed forces wrote on Facebook : "Today will probably be the last battle, as the ammunition is running out.

"It's death for some of us, and captivity for the rest."

Mariupol has been devastated by Russian shelling (REUTERS)

The brigade earlier said it had been pushed back and surrounded by Russian forces, with around half of the contingent's men wounded, Mail Online reports.

It wrote on Facebook: "The infantry was all killed and the shooting battles are now conducted by artillerymen, anti-aircraft gunners, radio operators, drivers and cooks. Even the orchestra."

The brigade added that troops whose 'limbs are not torn off' have returned to battled after being injured.

Pro-Kremlin separatist leader Denis Pushilin claimed Mariupol was under Russia's control, although this could not be verified.

At least 300 people were killed by a Russian airstrike on Mariupol theatre (REUTERS)

Commenting on the destruction in the city, President Volodymyr Zelensky said: "Mariupol has been destroyed, there are tens of thousands of dead, but even despite this, the Russians are not stopping their offensive."

At least 300 people taking shelter at a theatre in Mariupol were killed by a Russian airstrike as Vladimir Putin's war rages.

The Drama Theatre of Mariupol, where hundreds including children had been sheltering, was hit by the deadly airstrike last month.

Mariupol city council said: "The drama theatre was cynically destroyed by the heralds of the 'Russian world'.

Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Mariupol, according to Ukrainian estimates (REUTERS)

"These fascists of the 21st century were not stopped by either the huge inscription 'children', or the statements of the people themselves that there were only peaceful people - women, children, the elderly.

"The occupier knew where he was hitting. He knew what could be consequences and all the same, the bombs fell on the place that became a refuge for hundreds of Mariupol residents. There cannot be and never will be an explanation for this inhuman cruelty."

Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol, said on the Telegram messaging service that numbers of people leaving the city had fallen.

Ukrainian marines say they are surrounded by Russian forces (REUTERS)

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He said this was not because people did not want to escape but because Russian forces had slowed pre-departure checks.

Around 10,000 people were awaiting screening by Russian forces, he said. Russia does not allow military personnel to leave with civilian evacuees.

Mariupol was among nine humanitarian corridors agreed with Russia on Monday to evacuate people from besieged eastern regions, but its corridor was for private cars only, Ukraine's Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk said on Telegram.

It was not possible to agree the provision of buses, she said.

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