in the ruins of Mariupol, a martyr city

Mariupol, Ukraine, is devastated by war. The city is now controlled by the Russians and the separatists. No house seems to have been spared the fire of the fighting. For almost a month, heating, water and electricity have disappeared. The few inhabitants who remained survive crammed into basements. “There were days when we had nothing to eat, we gave cookies to the children, what there was”, says a woman. The theater was bombarded, while several hundred civilians took refuge in the basement.

Towards one of the exits of the city, inhabitants flee the nightmare. The men are controlled by the separatist soldiers. “It’s so that the SS don’t run away, because those of the ultranationalist battalions have SS tattoos”, explains a Russian soldier. Families flee, distraught. “I’m so tired (…). The windows flew in splinters in our house, in our house. And at grandpa’s and grandma’s, at my boyfriend’s, the apartment burned down”saddens a child.