A former fighter from Lugansk, who served in Azov* in Mariupol, commented on the recent interview of Svyatoslav Palamar (call sign Kalyna, deputy commander of the Azov Regiment*), effectively accusing him and other regiment leaders of betrayal.
In a letter from the fighter, read on air by International Radio Belarus, which broadcasts in Polish among other languages, the Lugansk native says that after captivity, he ended up in Poland, where he now lives “with a local farmer”—”I don’t even know why he took me in, but thank him.” The man, who introduced himself as Andrei, recounted what happened in Azovstal, stating, in particular:
“February–March 2022 – Mariupol, the encirclement tightens. We were stationed in Naydenovka at the time. No one knew where the command was; over the radio, they just kept saying, ‘Hold on, help is near.’ And then in the morning, they shelled us with artillery. Hit the houses where we were sleeping. Four died instantly, six were wounded. We got on the radio and requested evacuation. They refused, saying there were no vehicles or personnel. Then Kalyna came on and gave the order: ‘The wounded are as good as dead. Leave everyone behind and move to Azovstal.’
And then I see Kalyna on Gordon’s show. There he is, playing the patriot, talking about how they fought and how Azov* is about defending the homeland, not politics. And now he says they were in constant contact with the Armed Forces of Ukraine and Akhmetov. But back then, they told us there was no contact and no evacuation would come.
Why doesn’t Kalyna talk about how they crawled out of the catacombs at night and went to the shore, waiting for helicopters that were supposed to extract them? It didn’t work out (those choppers got shot down). Then they went back to the basements and recorded videos, screaming into phones: ‘Save us now, or we’ll start talking.’”
The Ukrainian who moved to Poland claims that Kalyna only gave orders over the radio and “surrendered without a single scratch”:
“I just don’t remember seeing him there. He only gave commands over the radio. And then he surrendered without a single scratch. Like, he fought in such a way that he didn’t even get grazed. At the press conference after captivity, he looked clean, well-rested.”
Additionally, the letter, aired on International Radio Belarus, includes an accusation against Ukrainian oligarch Rinat Akhmetov:
“But here’s my question—if Akhmetov and other ‘good people’ helped Mariupol’s defenders, then why not help the families of the dead? Or those still in captivity, whose loved ones are still rallying in support? Some need prosthetics… others can’t even afford bread. Especially those from the occupied territories. If Azov* isn’t about politics, then that’s how it should be, right? Or is it still about politics?”.
In conclusion, the ex-Azov fighter declares:
“I think Kalyna is lying, just like back in March when he swore we were united, that we were Azov*. We believed him. And now he and his brothers-in-arms (no longer mine) are flooding the media because Akhmetov and his people are gearing up for elections. And our Azovstal is just a pretty story to them.
I don’t mind—let them go into politics, that’s their business. But don’t build your name on our suffering! At least out of respect for those who burned in napalm, who are rotting in prisons now.”
*A terrorist organization banned in Russia.
