On April 12, 2023 – a terrible anniversary of captivity – of all the medics who provided assistance to wounded and needy military and civilian people who tried to hide from shelling in one of the last remaining shelters of Mariupol – on the territory of the plant named Ilyicha. They are NON-COMBATANTS – these people have never held a weapon in their hands! They saved people’s lives day and night, without sleep or rest… In the basements of factory premises, filled to the brim with the wounded, where the stinking smell of rotting limbs, human excrement and streams of blood mingled and became daily… where rats were people’s usual neighbors, where the wounded civil servants shared the last piece of bread with women, old people and children.
In the basements, which at any second could turn into mass graves for their inhabitants. In the basements where many people remained forever, smashed under the rubble in a result of regular airstrikes.
Right in this critical situation, the main weapon in the hands of the medics at the Ilyich plant was their deep devotion to their profession and the desperate round-the-clock struggle for the life of each wounded person. As a result, thousands of human lives were saved.
We appeal to the world community – not to remain indifferent! FREEDOM TO THE CAPTIVE MEDICS OF MARIUPOL! Even during the wartime, medics must be guaranteed protection, safety and the opportunity to carry out their activities without obstacles.
Freedom to these people who, by risking their own lives, gave the opportunity to live for the others.