Brand new tombs lined up right next to the streets where people come and go.


Some soil has just been piled up.



"My father-in-law. The car I was riding in exploded. I'm going to bury it again someday."



The woman choked her voice next to her own grave marker.



It's been a month since the invasion of the Russian army began.

What is happening in Mariupol, the "biggest battlefield" where many civilians are expected to be killed, and the "now" of the civilians living in the war.

(Table of Contents)


・ Latest situation of Mariupol


・ Scale of damage Sacrifice to citizens


・ Why the Russian army aims at Mariupol


・ What has happened so far


・ Voice of citizens living in the war

Mariupol's latest situation

It is a state of Mariupol taken on the 23rd of this month.

A building like an apartment house has been damaged and burnt black.

Russian troops are pushing for a de facto surrender and narrowing the city's siege.

According to the U.S. Department of Defense, in addition to firing hard from a distance, some ground forces have entered the city and continue to fight Ukrainian troops.



On the night of the 20th of this month, the Russian Ministry of Defense notified the Ukrainian army defending Mariupol to disarm and surrender the city.

Ukraine's President Zelensky emphasized the idea that "it is not correct to say,'If you follow this ultimatum, the war will end.' Ukrainians will disappear from Ukraine."



It seems that many citizens are left behind in the city, and it is feared that the Russian army's offensive will intensify and the number of victims will continue to increase.

The scale of damage and the sacrifice to the citizens

● Human Rights Watch (HRW)


・ More than 3,000 citizens may die


・ Approximately half of the population, at least 200,000 are left behind in the city


・ Most of water, food, medical care, heating, communication, etc. No situation


・ Testimony that citizens heading for the river due to water supply were involved in an attack by Russian troops and died


(according to interviews with Mariupori city executives and evacuees)



● United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights)

OHCHR)


・ "There is information that many citizens have been killed."・

The


specific number of victims has not been announced because it cannot be confirmed


(press release dated March 23) .



In the meantime, the fighting has become even longer, and there are growing concerns about further deterioration of human rights.

Why Russian Army Aims at Mariupol

This is an important location for Russia, as it connects the Crimean Peninsula, which was unilaterally annexed in 2014, with mainland Russia.

On the other hand, for Ukraine, Mariupol is a key point for accessing the Sea of ​​Azov, which is located north of the Black Sea, and is a base for exporting coal and steel.

What has happened so far

● March 9


Russian troops attack a hospital containing maternity departments in the city, killing three people including a girl (announced by the Ukrainian side)


→ The Russian side said, "The hospital building was occupied by Ukrainian militants and there were no patients." Claimed



● March 16


Russian troops attack the theater where hundreds of citizens were evacuated (Ukraine Foreign Minister)

The scale of the damage is still unknown


→ President Zelensky "I hear that more than 130 people have been rescued so far, but hundreds are still under the debris"


→ Russian state-run Tas news agency "The bombing is by the Ukrainian side Reported as "things"



● March 19


Russian troops bombed an art school where about 400 citizens evacuated


"Under investigation" (Mariupori city council)


→ President Zelensky "Many people are under debris, which I don't know if only people are alive. ” ●

Information that residents of the left bank area were forcibly transferred to Russia on



March 24 and their passports and ID cards were confiscated (Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine)

Approximately 15,000 people A

city battle continues between the Russian army that surrounds the city and the Ukrainian army that protects it

(Mariupori city council) where the citizens of the country are taken on the bus to the Russian side .

It has been exposed to intense attacks for more than two weeks, including more than 80% of homes being attacked.





Voices of citizens living in the war

These are the voices of Mariupol's citizens and those who have a connection.



● Worked at the destroyed theater until early February


　Director Eva, who is currently evacuating to western Ukraine



"I can't believe (the theater was destroyed) because I was shocked. I still don't know the safety of my colleagues. Theater for children was also performed at the theater. It was a symbol of the city, which was visited by many theater lovers and was also a meeting place. ”(Interviewed on 21st this month)

● Women who continue to evacuate underground

"The apartment was destroyed. Everything was destroyed. Food and sowing will be gone in a week. What should I do? I want to live like a human being" (photographed on the 20th of this month)

● A 44-year-old man evacuated to Zaporizhia in the southeast

"It was completely destroyed and the city was really terrible. There were airstrikes for three days in a row, and many residents stayed in the basement during the explosion. Some were able to evacuate outside the city, Many cars were bombed and they couldn't escape. Many died on the streets and their bodies lay down. "(Photographed 19th this month)