in the heart of the city of Mariupol, the feeling of abandonment of the inhabitants

For the first time, the teams from 13 Hours of France 2 were able to enter the town of Mariupol (Ukraine)city shelled by the Russian army. As they advanced along the charred tanks, they discovered a town center destroyed by the fighting, and many inhabitants still there. Exhausted, they stay in the courtyards, safe from automatic weapons fire and snipers. Their apartments were completely burnt down after the bombings, and they feel abandoned.

Part of the city is now controlled by Russians and separatists. They are the ones who accompany the teams from 1 p.m. as close as possible to the enclave of the city still held by the Ukrainians. Under the sound of gunfire, a woman cooks for her two children. “I would like everything to stop”testifies one of them. Next door, the dramatic theater of Mariupolbombed on March 16, is in ruined. “It will take time to find out what exactly happened at the theater (…), because this building is still inaccessible today because of the fighting”, concludes Luc Lacroix, special envoy to Mariupol.