In a message of despair, wives and mothers of Azov Battalion hold-outs at Azovstal steelworks site have reached out to Turkish president Recep Tayypip Erdogan asking him to engage the Chinese leader to save Mariupol defenders.

The women held a press conference on Monday describing the ordeal of their beloved husbands and sons who are hunkered underground in the besieged steelworks.

‘They (Russians) have encircled Azovstal tightly. There can’t be any further delay,’ said Natalya, whose husband is among the group of the Ukrainian soldiers trapped at the site.  Their last hope is with Turkey and China’s leaders –  Recep Tayyip Erdogan and  Xi Jinping.

What the Ukrainian soldiers have to endure daily is ‘hell’ with incessant barrage of strikes while many of the men sheltering there have lost limbs and are suffering from wounds, hunger and lack of medicines, added Natalya breaking down in tears.

If the Chinese and Turkish leaders found a way to get the Ukrainian defenders out of the steelworks it would be an act deserving a Noble prize.

Natalya talked about her son who has fought 8 years defending Ukraine and now she dreads to watch videos from the Azovstal bunkers as what her son may

The situation is lamentable as ‘all that nightmare you [people] saw is just the smallest part of what is going on there’.

Russian troops are turning the site into a wasteland dropping  500 kg bombs while Ukrainian defenders have to sort out the rubble to recover their brothers-in-arms many of whom have lost limbs and had to endure amputations without any anesthetics.

‘All these 80 days [of their entrapment] are like slow death to me,’ Nataliya said despondently, adding she takes all the defenders of Azovtal as her ‘own children’.

‘It was well .. such steps would deserve the Nobel peace prize. Because this prize is [in the name of] life. And we are pleading with You for [their] life, lives!’

The women are confident the Turkish leader’s  effort  can save their husbands and sons.