‘You can only get out of Mariupol by tank’
“I understand. If you have to choose between living under occupation or dying, you will choose to live under occupation. ”
“The city is tarnished.” RFE / RL Ukraine journalist cooperating with the service Yulia Harkusha He talks about the besieged city of Mariupol on the shores of the Sea of Azov. The journalist recently left the city Ukraine managed to cross into the territory under the control of the army.
“Russia There is nothing left to control. I saw something similar in the photos of the bombing of Dresden in World War II. “ Said the journalist.
A city with a population of about 430,000
Russia When the occupation of Ukraine began on February 24, Mariupol was the country’s 10was the largest city in the world, with a population of about 430,000. It is also the second largest city in the Donetsk region. Moscow Donetsk and recognized the independence of neighboring Luhansk, these regions in part Russia of forces and It is controlled by Russian-backed separatists.
The separatists failed to capture Mariupol in 2014. That same year, Moscow annexed Ukraine’s Crimean peninsula. Now this strategic port city seems to be the main target for Russia. The Kremlin is trying to establish a land connection between Crimea and the territories it occupies in eastern Ukraine.
The Russian military says more than 1,000 Ukrainian marines have surrendered in Mariupol by April 13. The day before this unconfirmed information, the 36th Ukrainian Marine Brigade Facebookwrote in that, They run out of ammunition and start fighting hand to hand.
Mayor of Mariupol Vadim Boychenko He told the AP that, at least since the beginning of the war 10 thousand, maybe even, 20 Thousands of civilians were killed. To his claim according toRussian forces use “mobile crematoria” to destroy evidence of civilian deaths.
Evacuation is not taken
Russia says it has not targeted civilians. But the drama theater, which hundreds of residents use as shelters, was bombed on March 16.
Although the Red Cross has organized bus evacuations from Russian-controlled areas, the process has turned to fighting according to is postponed. As far as Harkusha is concerned, some residents walk along the shores of the Sea of Azov from the Russian-controlled territories to the West. Again, they cross from Russian-controlled Melitopol to Ukrainian-held territory.
Others are heading to Crimea, which Russia has annexed.
“I understand. If you have to choose to live under occupation or die, you will choose to live under occupation. ” – He says to Harkusha. Journalist It is dangerous to walk out of Mariupol and adds that it is difficult.
Adviser to the Mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushenko he says that, If the Russians had allowed the evacuation, everything could have been organized quickly. “It simply came to our notice then. Ukraine does not depend on. It is very difficult to say what is in the minds of the occupiers. “ He told RFE / RL.
“Forced deportation”
Andryushenko reiterates the views expressed by Kiev – Mariupol and Residents of the surrounding areas are “forcibly deported” to Russia, including Siberia. He says the men have been registered as “refugees” and have been relocated to economically disadvantaged areas of Russia.
Mariupol resident Denis Minin assists in the evacuation of residents. He shrugs when asked how many people can get out of town.
“We will sit down and count as many people as we can after rescuing them,” he said. For me, everyone means so much. ” He says.
He helps thousands of ordinary drivers take their relatives from Mariupol to Zaporozhye.
“Two of the drivers are in captivity. They were taken to the so-called Donetsk People’s Republic with their cars. ” – o, April 10told the radio.
Those who are afraid to leave the city