Ukrainian forces besieged in Mariupol have done everything humanly possible to resist the Russian assault through more than a month of constant and intense fighting. Now out of food and ammunition, Ukrainian soldiers and marines are beginning to surrender in large numbers, accepting an uncertain fate in Russian captivity with the knowledge that they have done all they can for Ukraine. Among the surrendering troops is a well-known British volunteer who has recounted his ordeals on social media.
British marine reports surrender
Aiden Aslin, who uses the nom de guerre Cossack Gundî, is unlike the recent wave of Western volunteers in that he is a member of the 39th Brigade Ukrainian Marines in the regular Ukrainian armed forces.
Aslin moved to Ukraine to live with his fiancée in 2018 and joined the marines, having already experienced combat as a volunteer fighting ISIS in Syria.
In a call to a friend, Aslin described the bleak situation and said that he would be forced to surrender, having already tried to escape by wearing civilian clothes. His family has confirmed that the Brit is now a Russian prisoner.
The 36th Brigade of marines echoed everything Cossack Gundî said in a post on their Facebook page. They assured the Ukrainian people that the defenders of Mariupol have gone beyond the call of duty, with even cooks, musicians, and the wounded taking up arms to fight.
The post does not explicitly say that the marines intend to surrender, but it is clearly an effort to explain to the public that this is the only remaining option for the survivors.
The Russians claim to have received multiple large-scale surrenders of hundreds of Ukrainian marines. Cossack Gundî confirmed on Twitter that footage of one of the surrenders was authentic.
Kiev denies Mariupol claims
The government in Kiev, however, denies that any mass surrenders are happening in Mariupol or that the city has fallen to the Russians. Instead, they claim that Russia temporarily occupies only parts of the city and that these areas will soon be back under Ukrainian control.
The Facebook post from the 36th Brigade, they say, is the work of Russian hackers. Their refusal to acknowledge the seemingly authentic post may have something to do with its other contents.
In addition to lauding the courage of the marines and explaining the hopelessness of their position, the post accuses Ukrainian leadership of repeatedly promising help that never came while refusing to allow a breakout attempt.
President Volodomyr Zelensky’s government earlier in the siege vowed that no surrenders would take place and the post claims that troops were told that they could not attempt to fight their way out.
Accompanied by promises of support that never came, the implication is that the marines feel they have been left to die in Mariupol.
Still, the ferocious defense of the city has given Ukraine an authentic story of heroism to replace the fictional Ghost of Kyiv and Snake Island tales.
