Ukrainian Marine Trapped in Mariupol Steel Plant Begs Elon Musk for Help
‘IF NOT YOU, THEN WHO?’
A Ukrainian marine trapped inside Mariupol’s Azovstal steel plant amid relentless bombardment by Russian forces is asking Elon Musk to help get Ukrainian troops out. Serhiy Volyna, the commander of the 36th Separate Marine Brigade, issued the appeal late Wednesday on Twitter, tagging the SpaceX CEO directly. “People say you come from another planet to teach people to believe in the impossible. Our planets are next to each other, as I live where it is nearly impossible to survive. Help us get out of Azovstal to a mediating country. If not you, then who? Give me a hint,” Volyna wrote. There was no immediate response from Musk. The appeal comes after two wives of Ukrainian troops stuck inside Azovstal along with Volyna met with Pope Francis earlier this week, asking him to “please don’t let them die.” Authorities in Mariupol on Thursday said Ukrainian forces holed up in the plant—the last pocket of resistance in the battered port city—had begun attempting counterattacks.