‘I had no idea I’d never go back’: Mariupol survivors, a year on
Al JazeeraAl Jazeera catches up with former residents of the city where Russia is alleged to have carried out atrocities. Valentyna Konstantinovska, then 79, laid out on the floor wearing a lemon-yellow coat, learning to aim a mock assault rifle at a civilian weapons training in Ukraine’s southeastern port city of Mariupol. “We will stand for our Ukraine until the very end,” A group of older women who had volunteered for the war effort since 2014, nicknamed the “Babushka Battalion”, said they would take up arms or even go “mano a mano” if they had to protect their beloved city. I have started a new life that will lead to victory.” Fight between good and evil The siege of Mariupol is the worst atrocity Russian forces in Ukraine are accused of to date. “If I had got caught, I’d have bitten these Russians – that’s how angry I was at them,” she said.
History of this topic
In Ukraine, low hopes for the liberation of lands occupied by Russia
Al Jazeera
Zelenskyy exclusive interview: The full transcript
Al Jazeera
‘What are you doing here?’: Ukrainians recount Russian occupation
Al Jazeera
Empty shelves, spy hunt: Kyiv residents brace for Russian assault
Al Jazeera
‘Don’t want my family killed’: Ukrainian civilians ready to fight
Al Jazeera
‘Some stay, some die’: The horror of Ukraine’s war camps
Al JazeeraDiscover Related
)
)
)
