At least 8,000 people died due to fighting in Mariupol between March 2022 and February 2023, according to the findings of several NGOs demanding justice.
Located in the southeast of Ukraine, the city was bombed by the Russian army from the start of its military offensive, and 90% destroyed. Violence with dramatic consequences for certain residents, as explained by Mykhailo Puryshev, a humanitarian volunteer present in the city at this time.
“The biggest problem was probably not food or heat, but medicine. People were dying because there weren’t any. Those who have suffered the most are the elderly and children. Mariupol is a big cemetery.”
According to a former resident of Mariupol, the situation in the martyred city is now difficult for those who remained there.
“We are therefore deprived of gas, water and electricity. We are totally isolated from civilization. No internet, no updates. Nothing“, explains Denys Shevtsov.
A report published by NGOs such as Human Rights Watch reports 14 attacks deemed ‘illegal’ which killed or injured civilians and damaged or destroyed around ten buildings such as hospitals.
The document is based on hundreds of interviews with residents of Mariupol, and on the analysis of nearly 1,000 photos, videos and satellite images of the city.
“Our analysis allowed us to conclude that international agencies and governments committed to justice should appropriately investigate and prosecute ten individuals we name, including President Putin, and potentially other commanders who appear linked to the oversight of war crimes in Mariupol.”
Since this assault, the city is being rebuilt. Vladimir Putin even made a first visit there in March 2023. But, while most of the more than 430,000 inhabitants of Mariupol fled the city, those who remained there describe a reality far from that touted by Moscow.