Last Stand of the Mariupol Marines

The small city of Mariupol sits in Eastern Ukraine on an outlet of the Black Sea known as the Sea of Azov. For over a century, it has been one of the principal ports for the shipment of Ukrainian grain and steel to the world. It has a large, fairly diverse population of about 500,000 people made up of Ukrainians, Russians, and a smattering of an ancient Greek population.

About 2,500 Ukrainian Marines defended Mariupol against perhaps 25,000 Russian troops. The Russians quickly encircled the city, beginning a siege cutting off the city for nearly 50 days in which no help and few supplies arrived. Initial efforts to overwhelm Mariupol in man-to-man assaults failed despite the Russians' more than 10 to 1 advantage. The Butcher then repeated his Syrian strategy, using artillery to reduce the city to ashes, shelling refugees, killing perhaps 20,000 civilians, and cutting off all food and water supplies. Still, the Marines, with many wounded and dead and without air cover or hope of victory or even rescue, would not surrender.

The resistance of the Marines was so furious that even with Mariupol in ashes, they fought on in the basements and tunnels beneath the burning and ruined steel plant in a hellish last stand reminiscent of Stalingrad. Even with the Russians' use of phosphorus, the Marines picked agonizing death by chemical fire over surrender.

Eduard Basurin, a Putin spokesman, threatened to use chemical weapons “to smoke the moles out of their holes.” The Marines themselves have claimed through steel plant leader Andriy Biletsky that chemical gases were being sprayed on them by Russian drones. Russian spokesman Igor Nikulin clarified that Russia might be using "special substances, but not chemical weapons" – a distinction without a difference to the entombed, outnumbered Marines.

An unknown Facebook poster delivered yesterday in perhaps the last message of the Mariupol Marines that the “infantry are all dead," and the drivers and the orchestra are now leading the fight with almost all ammunition gone.

“We kept the defense … Try doing the impossible … What comes next is death or captivity … Remember the Marines with a kind word. They did everything impossible.”

On April 13^th at 3:57 a.m., Chechnyan mercenaries claimed the last 1,026 Marines had surrendered. Since this was at least the third claim of total victory in Mariupol over the Marines by the Putin government, beginning with a false victory claim on March 23, it is uncertain whether the Chechnyan mercenary report is true. It is unknown whether the 1,026 survivors of the 2500 Ukrainian Marines have surrendered. What is certain is that they shared not only the United States Marine Corps’ uniform and motto but also their courage. Their percentage of dead is greater than those suffered by the U.S. Marine Corps at Iwo Jima, its bloodiest and most legendary battle. Like Iwo Jima, uncommon valor at Mariupol was a common thing.

If a final remnant of survivors has surrendered, they were very difficult for Mr. Putin and The Butcher to “liberate.” Their last stand will be remembered with the heroes of The Alamo, Thermopylae, and the Alcazar. They were truly in heart and spirit, Marines. As they asked, they will be remembered well.

John O’Neill, a New York Times Number One bestselling author, and Sarah Wynne are the co-authors of The Dancer and The Devil (Regnery, April 26, 2022), a forthcoming account of murders and biowar by Stalin, Putin and Xi. O’Neill is a Naval Academy Graduate and decorated combat Vietnam veteran.