A Ukrainian police officer in Mariupol warns that the besieged port city has been “wiped off the face of the earth,” and pleads with the presidents of the United States and France to provide his country with a modern air defense system.
In a video post from a rubble-strewn street, Mariupol police officer Michail Vershnin tells US President Joe Biden and French President Emmanuel Macron that they had promised assistance, “but what we have received is not quite it,” and urges them to save the civilian population.
“Children, elderly people are dying. The city is destroyed and it has been wiped off the face of the earth,” he says in a video, in which flames can be seen coming from several buildings while others were decimated.
“You have promised that there will be help, give us that help. Biden, Macron, you are great leaders. Be them to the end,” he says.
Help us report truthfully on social media
As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos.
This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. Our team at ToI produces accurate, responsible short-form reporting on Israel and the Jewish world.
If you believe in the importance of factual social media journalism, please consider joining our reader support group, The Times of Israel Community. Your financial support is essential to sustain responsible multimedia reporting.
— Gabriella Jacobs, multimedia journalist
Support our work
Support our work
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this
You're a dedicated reader
We’re really pleased that you’ve read X Times of Israel articles in the past month.
That’s why we started the Times of Israel - to provide discerning readers like you with must-read coverage of Israel and the Jewish world.
So now we have a request. Unlike other news outlets, we haven’t put up a paywall. But as the journalism we do is costly, we invite readers for whom The Times of Israel has become important to help support our work by joining The Times of Israel Community.
For as little as $6 a month you can help support our quality journalism while enjoying The Times of Israel AD-FREE, as well as accessing exclusive content available only to Times of Israel Community members.
Thank you,
David Horovitz, Founding Editor of The Times of Israel
Join Our Community
Join Our Community
Already a member? Sign in to stop seeing this