Mariupol residents deny Russian stories about the city

“What they show on Russian TV are fools’ fairy tales. Most of the Mariupol is still lying in the ruins,” said John, a Ukrainian who lives in Mariupol, a Russian-occupied man. We changed his name when he was worried about revenge from the Russian authorities.

“They are repairing the facades of buildings on the main street, where they shoot cameras. But around the corner, there is rubble and emptiness. Many people still live in semi-saturated apartments with barely standing on the walls.”

It’s been more than three years since then Mariupol was taken by Russian troops After brutal siege and indiscriminate killing and beatings, it was a critical moment in the early months of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

Thousands of people were killed, United Nations estimates 90% of residential buildings are damaged or damaged.

Videos and reels from several pro-Russian influencers have been painting a picture of a smooth city that has repaired the damaged structure and life has returned to normal.

But the BBC talked with more than six people – some still lived in Mariupol, and some escaped after the occupation to piece together the realities of urban life.

“There are a lot of lies around,” said Olha Onyshko, 66.

“I wouldn’t say they (Russian authorities) repaired a lot of things. There was a central square – only the buildings there were rebuilt. There was also an empty building, the buildings stood. They cleared the debris, but they didn’t even separate the bodies, they just carried them with trucks and the city, they loaded onto the city.”

Mariupol is also facing a severe water shortage.

James said: “The water flows for a day or two, and then there aren’t three days. We put buckets and jugs at home.

Some even say that water looks like “Coca-Cola”.

Serhii Orlov, who claimed to be Mariupol’s deputy mayor among the exiles, said Siverskyi Donbas Canal, who supplied water to the city during the fight, said the canal was damaged.

“There is only one reservoir that supplies water to Marireto. For the current population, it lasts about a year and a half. Because the duration of the occupation lasts longer, this means there is no drinking water at all. The water people use doesn’t even meet the minimum drinking water standards,” Serhii said.

Residents tell us that frequent power cuts, food is expensive and medication is very small.

“Essential drugs are not available. It’s so expensive for people with diabetes to get insulin on time,” James said.

The BBC has approached Mariupol’s Russian government in response to allegations of shortages and whether they have found alternative sources of water. So far, we have not received any response.

Residents said despite the hardships, living in the city, are still watching what Ukrainian children teach in school.

After being occupied, Andrii Kozhushyna studied at a university in Mariupol for a year. Now he escaped to Dnipro.

“For example, they are teaching children false information and publicity. For example, school textbooks indicate that Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhia, Helsen, Odessa, Crimea, Crimea, and even the Dnipropetrovsk region are already part of Russia,” Andrii said. ”

He also describes a special course called “Conversation on Important Things”, which teaches students how to liberate these areas from the Nazis in 2022.

“Teachers who refuse to take these classes are frightened or fired. It’s like they’re reprogramming our children’s minds,” said Mary Pole resident John.

During the celebrations of World War II in May, images from Maripole Central Square show children and adults wearing military costumes for parades and performances – traditional Soviet-era Ukraine is increasingly shy and is now imposed on occupied territories. Mariupol bathes in the colors of the Russian flag – red, blue and white.

But some Ukrainians are engaging in secret resistance against Russia, in the deaths of the night, they spray paint Ukrainian blue and yellow colors on the walls, along with messages with “Liberate Mariupol” and “Mariupol” and “Mariupol is Ukraine”.

James and John were both members of the resistance group, and so did Andry when he was in the city.

“The information is a moral support for our people, letting them know that the resistance is still alive,” James said.

Their main goal is to gather intelligence for the Ukrainian army.

James said: “I recorded information about the Russian military movement. I analyzed where they transported their weapons, how many soldiers entered and left the city and what equipment was being repaired in our industrial areas. I took photos in secret and kept their photos until I could spread it to Ukraine’s intelligence channels through secure channels.”

Sometimes, resistance groups also attempt to undermine civil or military operations. At least twice, the railway line entering Mariupol was destroyed because the signal box was caught by militants.

This is risky work. Andrii said he was forced to leave when he realized he had been exposed.

“Maybe a neighbor smiled at me. But when I was buying bread at the store, I saw a soldier showing me a picture to the cashier and asking if they knew who the person was.”

He immediately left, slid past Mariupol’s inspection table, then passed through many Russian cities and through Belarus, before entering Ukraine from the north.

Every day is a challenge for those still in the city.

“You delete emails every day because you can check your phone at the checkpoint. If your phone is eavesdropped, you are afraid to call your friends in Ukraine.”

He added: “A man in the neighboring house was arrested on the street because there were reports that he was passing information to the Ukrainian army. Your life is like a movie – constant tension, fear, distrust.”

As negotiations between Ukraine and Russia continue, recommendations made by Ukraine internally and externally require recognition of land in exchange for a peace agreement.

“To the territory that ‘trade with Russia’ would be a betrayal. Dozens risk their lives every day to pass on information to Ukraine, not that some diplomats in the lawsuit would sign a piece of paper that could ‘hand us over’.”

“We don’t want ‘peace’. We want liberation.”

Other reports by Imogen Anderson, Anastasiia Levchenko, Volodymyr Lozhko and Sanjay Gangly