Transcript of the Statement by Major Svyatoslav Palamar "Kalyna" (ENG TEXT)

“We Shall Not Surrender”

Transcript of the Statement

by Major Svyatoslav Palamar (Kalyna),

the Deputy Commander of Ukraine’s Azov Regiment,

at the Kyiv Security Forum

Live from Azovstal, 13 May 2022

I’m very grateful to all (of you present) and it is an honor for me to represent the best soldiers, the best sergeants and officers – (Ukrainian Army). And I would like to thank the people of the United States of America, the military and political leadership of this great country for all the support they give to Ukraine and the Ukrainian Army. 

On the 24^th of February, (in Mariupol) we stood up against a great force of the Russian Federation. We countered the enemy who had much more armaments and manpower. Around 14 000 troops attacked us. This is a huge number of military armaments, including aircrafts, vessels, ships, aircrafts of strategic and tactical air force, MLRS and a huge number of shells and bombs we’ve encountered over all this time.

Our garrison managed to destroy some 6000 of the enemy forces, including one general. It includes around 78 tanks and more than 100 armored vehicles. This is confirmed data. We also have unconfirmed data…

Now we are facing the 150 division, the 68 tank regiment, the 83 air brigade, the 346 GRU brigade, (and other) special forces, the 22 GRU special forces brigade, (as well as) the 9^th marine regiment of the (so-called) “DNR”, and the 810th Black Sea Fleet brigade, the 155^th Pacific Fleet marine brigade. There are Wagner mercenaries and also hired guns from other territories of the Russian Federation and the Caucasus.

I wish to emphasize that in countering this armada - an overwhelming number of enemies - we lacked air defense systems that could have helped us destroy aircrafts. We do not have anti-ship cruise missiles that could allow us to sink ships.

Our men and women are doing their utmost and we continue to defend ourselves and we shall not surrender. Indeed, since the 1^st of March we have been besieged. At the end of March, we retreated and continued to fight at the Azovstal (steelworks plant).  

The situation is difficult. The enemy is cynical; the enemy does not abide by any international conventions. Neither Geneva Conventions, nor anything else.

Knowing that there is a huge number of wounded soldiers – around 600 – at Azovstal, the enemy continues to shell and bomb us, including the military hospital that we have. This is the breach of all international norms and conventions. 

The enemy is also doing everything (he can) in terms of propaganda.

We, in the Azov regiment, are the military servicemen of Ukraine of various nationalities: here are Jews, Greeks, Belarusians, Gagauzians. We are all Ukrainian citizens. We have different faiths and religions, we are multinational. For that, the Russian propaganda works against us, trying to… kind of adding oil to the fire.

What is going to happen next? We will defend the Azovstal until we have any opportunity to do so. Indeed, we have problems with water, with food, with ammunition, with medications but we continue to stand strong and we shall be keeping our defenses and carry out the order of our highest political command. So we shall continue to fight.  

Today with the assistance of artillery and the aircrafts the enemy continues to bomb and shell us, but we continue to defend our premises. 

Having this opportunity, I would like to… tell you that we thank you for all your support.

I would like to say that such high representatives of such proud people as the United States of America, I would like you to hear me out. 

First and foremost, please assist us in evacuation of our wounded soldiers, of our wounded brothers. If there is any opportunity, please use it to assist us in the extraction process of our garrison.

These besieged men and women did their utmost to hold such a huge number of enemies. If we failed to do so, these hordes of the enemy would have gone elsewhere and captured other territories of Ukraine. And the frontline would have looked very much different from what it looks now. 

I would also like to emphasize again that the enemy does not abide to any conventions or doesn’t share any values. 

They just want to ruin all of the civilized world. And by protecting Azovstal and by protecting Mariupol we are defending the values of all the civilized world. These values (helped us) to defeat Nazism and Communism. 

I would like to thank that in both World Wars and in the current aggression of Russia against Ukraine the United States stand shoulder to shoulder with us and assist us.

Thank you.

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