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Mariupol, a port city in southeastern Ukraine, has become the epicentre of Russian attacks, sustaining weeks of bombing that has devastated the city and left thousands of civilians trapped without water, heat, sewage or phone service. Many people, however, have fled the city for Russia, the EU or safer parts of Ukraine. Our Observer, who escaped Mariupol to a remote village in the mountains, told us her story.
Some of the most severe fighting in the Russian invasion of Ukraine has taken place in Mariupol, a strategic port city that lies between the Russian-held zones of Crimea and Donbas. The city has endured weeks of relentless attacks that have ravaged civilian targets and essential infrastructure, creating a humanitarian emergency.
Around 160,000 civilians are still trapped in Mariupol, according to Mayor Vadym Boichenko. Up to 140,000 people, however, have attempted the dangerous journey out of the port city to flee the violence. Some have fled Ukraine for the European Union, some are in other parts of Ukraine and others are now in Russia.
❗️Evacuation from Mariupol through the eyes of civilians.
Under bullets and explosions people escape from the destroyed city.#Ukraine #Russia #TPYXA pic.twitter.com/EbyzNvvRGV
— ТРУХА⚡️English (@TpyxaNews) March 26, 2022
A video posted on Twitter on March 26, 2022 shows civilians in vehicles fleeing the city of Mariupol, destroyed by Russian shelling.
‘I was ready to go on foot, to run out of the city, I was ready to die on the road, but I could no longer stay in Mariupol’
Veronika Tikhonyuk is 19 years old and was a student at Mariupol State University and an…
Source : france24
