Mikhailo Vershinin, the big Mariupol cop, was a ghost of himself when he got back from Russian detention after four months. Vershinin was the commander of Mariupol’s Police Patrol, when he gave up to Russian forces on the orders of President Volodymyr Zelenskyy a year ago. He was on the verge of death, the day he was traded for Russian prisoners of war.
Mikhailo witnessed firsthand, the day the embattled city’s final square crumbled. He now recalls the day with both regret, and hope for Ukraine’s future.
For weeks, the air strikes had been unstopable, but the skies remained quiet as Russian and Ukrainian officials negotiated surrender terms. Vershinin explained that at the moment, it appeared to be the only option for both the men and women with him underground, and also for Mariupol.
The Azov brigade final fight, also served as an inspiration for several countries that were sitting on the fence, about supporting Ukraine. “Beginning with Mariupol, the world started to wake up in understanding what’s going on,” Mikhailo said. “We knew perfectly well that, we locked on ourselves lots of Russian forces. We were like a bone in the throat of Russia,” he added.
Before surrendering, the team requested for reinforcements, which never arrived due to the intensity of the battle at that moment. Also, all supply lines during calls for reinforcements, were under Russia control.
However, Russia failed to uphold its vow to handle prisoners of war in accordance with the Geneva Convention. Torture, hunger, and illness were all, following the capture of the Azovstal troops. More than 700 fighters remain imprisoned as at now, their release has been a top objective for both the Ukrainian government and Vershinin, who was part of a group traded for Russian Prisoners of Wars, last fall.
The men and women who battled to the death at Azovstal have since been regarded as heroes and martyrs throughout Ukraine, with their images appearing on billboards and large banners. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the surrender order at the time, saying that “Ukraine needs Ukrainian heroes to be alive. It’s our principle.”
Vershinin, on the other hand, claimed that mistreatment was common as their Russian captors attempted to set them against each other, and starve them into compliance. “Now I can say this, if we knew what awaited us in prison, many people would refuse to go, would not surrender.”
Mariupol
Mariupol was, has been, and is still one of the most contended cities, with regards to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. As part of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the bombardment of Mariupol started the very day of the invasion, and continued until May 20, 2022. It was the battle for control of Mariupol between the Russian Armed Forces, alongside Donetsk People’s Republic Militia, and the Ukrainian Armed Forces.
The bombardment, which lasted nearly three months, ended in a victory for Russia and the Donetsk People’s Republic, as Ukraine lost its grip on the city, during Russia’s eastern Ukraine offensive and southern Ukraine offensive. All Ukrainian troops trapped in the city, gave up their positions on 20 May 2022, after being ordered to cease fighting.
The Azov Brigade were the lead fighters defending the city of Mariupol, though Russia had occupied most of the city during the early stages of the invasion. Formed in 2014, as a volunteer paramilitary militia led by Andriy Biletsky, it was setup to combat pro-Russian forces in the Donbas war. On 11 November, it was officially absorbed into the National Guard and renamed Special Operations Detachment “Azov.”
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