‘Bukvy’ continues documenting Russian war crimes and stories of civilian deaths in Mariupol and other Ukrainian territories. These are the stories from ‘Museum of Civilian Voices’ established by the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation.

 

Pavlo Fomin. Mariupol

‘Until the last moment, there was hope that they would not damage the hemodialysis unit in the hospital’

Pavlo lived in the western part of the city, and worked as an anesthesiologist at Mariupol City Hospital.A lot of wounded people were brought there.Most of the hospital premises were heavily shelled.

‘There was always the thought that this was about to end. However, every day it only increased. Many patients just did not manage to get to the hospital…’

According to Pavlo, most of the wounded died because of the lack of mobility and transportation. Those who managed to get the hospital were provided with maximum medical assistance.

Over time, supplies of medicines and humanitarian aid ran out, so saving patients’ lives was an extremely difficult mission for doctors. The hemodialysis unit miraculously continued its operation until mid-April. Then it was bombed.

‘Until the last moment, there was hope that they would not damage the hemodialysis unit in the hospital. The hope did not come true. Russians shelled everything.’

Pavlo and his family evacuated to Zaporizhzhya on April 22. Now he works there.

‘Our task is to help people who are in a worse condition than we are. Therefore, we must find the strength to save them!’

 

Mykyta Didenko. Mariupol

‘Mom said, ‘Go, I will stay with Granny’

18-year-old Mykyta studied in Slovakia, but returned to Mariupol to get a driver’s license and help his elderly grandmother with eye treatment. However, the war came to the city. At 5 am on February 24, Mykyta and his family heard explosions.

‘We tried to get used to these sounds, but one day I went out to chop firewood and saw with my side vision how a huge rocket hit the school nearby…’

The shelling also targeted their house.

‘The worst thing is that you don’t know if fortune will smile on you. You don’t know where the missile will hit and what to expect…’

One evening, when the shelling stopped, he went outside. In the neighboring yard, he saw a girl in a wrecked car. The guy spent two days repairing the car, because it was the only chance for salvation. It was his first and successful experience in car repair.

‘When the shelling targeted right our yard, my 86-year-old grandmother had a stroke. After that, she had to be spoon-fed. Then my mother said to me, ‘Go, I will stay with granny.’

Mykyta left Mariupol with the girl, who owned the car, and his neighbor Olena. Only he was checked by the Russian military.

‘They made me undress and checked my phone. In my phone pictures, they found a sun sign, our symbol from the martial art of jiu-jitsu. I had to explain to them what this meant. Looking at them and knowing about their army, I think they have no chance of victory!’

 

Tetiana Andriichuk. Stoianka, Kyiv region

‘War is a horror that cannot be imagined in the 21st century’

Tetiana is a gynecologist with 23 years of experience. The woman says that already on February 22, relatives from Donetsk sent a message that people from the previously occupied territories were being evacuated to Russia, and the borders with Ukraine were closed.

‘My sister wrote to pray for them, there was a mass mobilization of men in Donetsk.Something terrible was happening’

On February 24, Tatiana’s husband woke her up. Explosions and the sound of helicopters were heard.

‘My son and his wife live in Kyiv, and my mother was being treated at the Kyiv endocrinology department. My husband serves the country, so only in the evening we were able to take the children and mother to our private house in Stoianka’

Tetiana says that the family lived in the basement from February 24 to March 7. Without electricity and water, only the electricity generator saved them.

In March, together with volunteers, Tetiana’s 12-year-old daughter and son and with his wife left Stoianka, but the woman could not leave her mother, dog and house.

‘This cannonade did not stop. They shelled Hostomel, Irpin, Makariv, Kyiv. We rejoiced when we heard our air defense. This sound became familiar to us.’

The war forced Tatiana to leave for Bukovyna. There, the woman was offered to work in a specialty, however, according to her, she is simply not morally ready to return to work in the usual mode. So now she is just helping those in dire need.

‘Ukraine has the best people, there is no such place anywhere. We have been to Germany, France, Romania and Poland, but believe me – the most sincere, kindest and richest in soul people are here!