Explosions reported near airport in Russian-occupied Mariupol
Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the city's exiled mayor, shared photos and videos showing plumes of smoke rising over Mariupol. Explosions were heard near a city's airport.
Mariupol
Ukrainian partisans say they sabotaged railway in Russia's Rostov Oblast
The Atesh partisan group sabotaged a railway connection between Russia's Rostov-on-Don and the occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the group said on July 9.
Guardian: Russia accused of 'deliberate' starvation tactics in Mariupol in submission to ICC
Russia used a "deliberate pattern" of starvation tactics during its three-month siege of the city of Mariupol, Donetsk Oblast, in early 2022, which could amount to war crime, according to a lawyers' analysis submitted to the International Criminal Court (ICC), the Guardian reported on June 13.
Reintegration Ministry: 11-year-old boy returned home from Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast
Ukraine returned home an 11-year-old boy who had been separated from his mother in Russian-occupied Donetsk Oblast for two years, the Reintegration Ministry reported on May 27.
12 never-before-seen photos from Azovstal defense
The defense of the Azovstal steel plant, Ukraine's last stronghold during the Russian siege of Mariupol in the spring of 2022, remains one of the most heroic operations carried out by the Ukrainian soldiers to date. The plant was under constant Russian bombardment for nearly two months, and those stuck
Author of famous Azovstal photos on documenting Ukraine’s iron resistance in Mariupol
Editor’s note: This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. While hiding from almost non-stop Russian bombardment in the dark and cold bunkers of the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol, Dmytro Kozatskyi took his most famous and arguably most valuable photographs. He showed the world what it was
Mariupol defender breaks down his famous Azovstal photos
Dmytro Kozatskyi, call sign "Orest," is a Ukrainian soldier who formerly headed the press service of the Azov regiment. In this video, Kozatskyi breaks down his famous photographs and shares his memories about the Russian siege of Mariupol.
Russian media: German prosecutor's office opens preliminary investigation into Knauf
The Wurzburg Prosecutor's Office has opened a preliminary investigation into the German building materials manufacturer Knauf, allegedly involved in the reconstruction of Russian-occupied Mariupol, Russian state-controlled news outlet RIA Novosti reported on April 22.
Media: German building materials firm Knauf to withdraw from Russia
The German producer of building materials Knauf said it is ceasing its operations in Russia in the light of "current events," Business Insider reported on April 22, citing a statement from the company.
Media: German companies involved in Russian 'reconstruction' of occupied Mariupol
German companies Knauf and WKB Systems GmbH are involved in the so-called restoration efforts of occupied Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast, which was destroyed by Russian troops, according to an investigation published on April 3 by journalists of the Monitor program of the German TV channel ARD.
'20 Days in Mariupol' wins Oscar for Best Documentary
The film "20 Days in Mariupol," directed by Ukrainian journalist Mstyslav Chernov, won the Oscar for Best Documentary at the 96th Academy Awards on March 10. The documentary records the Russian siege of Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast from the perspective of Chernov and his crew during the first weeks of
Ukrainian serviceman receives 20-year Russian prison sentence
A Russian court in Rostov-on-Don has handed a 20-year prison sentence in a maximum-security facility to Dmytro Yevhan, a Ukrainian servicemember who was captured defending the Azovstal steelworks plant in Mariupol.
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ can win an Oscar. Will it make the world care about Russian war crimes in Ukraine?
Editor’s Note: This story contains descriptions of graphic scenes. “My brain will desperately want to forget all this,” narrates journalist Mstyslav Chernov over footage he filmed of city workers adding bodies to a mass grave in Mariupol, “but the camera will not let it happen.” At the start of
‘I still imagine being there:’ A trip through memories of Ukrainian cities in tatters from Russia's war
Russia’s now-10-year war against Ukraine has affected every inch of the country, but no other region has taken the brunt of Russian aggression like Ukraine's eastern Donbas region, comprised of Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts. While the initial eight years of Russia's invasion only affected a handful of eastern Ukrainian
‘20 Days in Mariupol’ wins BAFTA award for best documentary
The Ukrainian documentary “20 Days in Mariupol” won an award for best documentary on Feb. 18 at the British Academy Film Awards.
Report identifies 17 Russian military units involved in assault on Mariupol
A report published by Human Rights Watch, Ukrainian human rights organization Truth Hounds, and SITU Research on Feb. 8 identifies 17 military units that took part in Russia's assault on Mariupol at the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Ukraine's Foreign Ministry demands explanation after Germany's TV report from occupied Mariupol
A visit by the German ZDF TV channel's correspondent to Russian-occupied Mariupol without Kyiv's consent violated Ukrainian law, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oleh Nikolenko said on Feb. 2.
How Moscow replaces Ukrainians with Russians in occupied territories
After Russia’s relentless attacks in 2022, the port city of Mariupol in Ukraine’s Donetsk Oblast was left in ruins. Yet this has not stopped Russians from buying up houses and flats in Mariupol, or even trying to exchange them for their property in Russia.
Ukrainian filmmakers center resilience, horrors of war at Sundance Film Festival
The first Russian bomb hit the outskirts of Mariupol an hour after video journalist Mstyslav Chernov arrived to the city on Feb. 24, the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. For 20 days that followed, Chernov’s team captured Russian blows strangling the city block by block.
Over 100,000 Mariupol residents trapped in dire conditions under Russian occupation
Editor’s Note: The names of some of the people interviewed by the Kyiv Independent for this story have been changed to protect their identity as they have shared sensitive information that could place them and their families in danger. Three months after Russia’s brutal months-long siege of Mariupol
Mom of 3 loses husband, mother to Russia’s war: ‘My children will know they were heroes’
On a warm day in mid-May, Ukrainian Tetiana Lastovych, 29, was getting ready to be discharged from the maternity hospital in the city of Zaporizhzhia after giving birth to her third child, a baby boy Illia. As she approached the glass doors to the hospital, Lastovych froze in shock: There
Did the War End? Ep. 3: Escaping Mariupol – Max’s Story
Throughout Russia's war, Ukrainians all over the country have shown remarkable courage, be it to help a stranger or save their loved ones. In this episode of our podcast “Did the War End?” we hear from one of those Ukrainians — Max — who drove from Kyiv to Mariupol in the middle
Did the War End? Ep. 2: Defending Azovstal
Azovstal, a steel plant in now Russian-occupied Mariupol, has become a symbol of Ukraine’s fierce resistance to the Russian invasion. Thousands of Ukrainian fighters defended the plant with little to no resources, refusing to surrender for nearly three months. In this episode of our podcast “Did the War End?
264 Azovstal defenders evacuated to Russian-controlled territory, promised medical treatment
Deputy Defense Minister Hanna Maliar said that 264 Ukrainian soldiers were evacuated on May 16 from the Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol to hospitals in Russian-occupied Novoazovsk and Olenivka. Of those evacuated, 53 heavily wounded soldiers will receive medical treatment in Novoazovsk, while 211 will be transferred to Olenivka to
Wives of besieged Azovstal garrison: 'We need to save heroes' lives, not give posthumous awards'
The wives of the last Ukrainian soldiers left in Mariupol, the southern city that is mostly occupied by Russians and 90% destroyed after weeks of constant Russian shelling, called on the world to help save their husbands. Five Ukrainian women whose husbands are among the Ukrainian soldiers holding out at
One onslaught, one family, one lucky chance: Surviving Mariupol theater bombing
Viktoria Dubovitska, 24, and her two children survived the Russian bombing of the Mariupol Drama Theater by pure luck. Like hundreds of Mariupol residents, Dubovitska's family was sheltering near the theater’s main stage. But on March 16, her two-year-old daughter Anastasia got sick, and the family was offered a
Defenders of besieged Mariupol plead for help, criticize commandment
Ukrainian marines defending Mariupol came out with a public statement criticizing President Volodymyr Zelensky and the army command. The 36th Marine Brigade accused the country’s leadership of abandoning them in the besieged port city with no ammunition left, saying that it might be their last day of fighting. “For
Azov says Russia used chemical weapons in besieged Mariupol
Ukraine's Azov regiment said on April 11 that Russia had used a poisonous substance against Ukrainian troops in Mariupol, a besieged port on the Sea of Azov. Azov leader Andriy Biletsky said that three people have clear signs of chemical poisoning. He added that there are no "disastrous consequences" for
Voices of besieged Mariupol: 'It’s not even comparable to hell'
“Sometimes hope returns to me. But sometimes it leaves, and I think that we are all going to die,” says Anastasiia Kiseliova, a 40-year-old mother of three, as she walks through the streets of Mariupol, voice-recording herself on an iPhone. “The city is gone,” she adds, her voice trembling. She
300,000 people trapped in besieged Mariupol face living hell
When Mariupol journalist Artem Popov speaks about his hometown, it sounds like he has a lump in his throat. The southeastern city of Mariupol has turned into a front line of Russia’s brutal war against Ukraine. It’s dangerous to move around the city because Russian warplanes are flying
20 days of Russia's war in Ukraine in photos
It is widely believed that Russian leadership expected its all-out invasion of Ukraine to succeed within days. Twenty days later, Ukraine still stands, and Russia has no major victories to claim. It seized only one large city and regional center, Kherson in southern Ukraine. To force Ukraine to surrender, Russia
Before you close
this banner,
we want to tell you something…
The Kyiv Independent doesn’t depend on a wealthy owner or an oligarch — in 2023, 80% of our revenue was from reader contributions. It’s thanks to them that we don’t have to rely on a single owner.
Support us now and help maintain our independent model and keep our articles free for everyone. Your contributions allow us to cover journalists’ salaries, report from the front lines, and fund projects like our War Crimes Investigations Unit.
(Updated: )
