Mariupol in Ukraine is on the brink of collapse after weeks of bombardment by Russian military. The Russians are focusing all their fire to capture the Azovstal steel plant, the last remaining part of Mariupol. In such a scenario, escaping from the city is like putting your life on the line.
But a Ukrainian couple did it. The duo spoke to the BBC and described the horrors of the “cramped, unclean, processing camps” before being evacuated.
"It was like a true concentration camp," 49-year-old Oleksandr told the BBC from Lviv. Ukrainian officials have compared these centres to those used during Russia's war in Chechnya, when thousands of Chechens were brutally interrogated and many disappeared.
“Elderly people slept in corridors without mattresses or blankets. There was only one toilet and one sink for thousands of people,” said Oleksandr's wife Olena.
“Dysentery soon began to spread. There was no way to wash or clean. It smelt extremely awful,” she added.
The couple said Russian officials thoroughly checked their phones for call history and contact numbers to find out links with journalists or Ukrainian government and military officials. Since they had already deleted all the photos, including that of their daughter in front of a Ukrainian flag, they were safe.
"It was very dangerous and risky. Any small doubt, any small resistance - and they could take you to the basements for interrogation and torture,” said Oleksandr.
The soap and disinfectant ran out just after a day Oleksandr and Olena arrived in the Mariupol centre. Soon toilet paper and sanitary pads too went out of stock.
Food became desperately scarce, so they decided to take shelter in a basement near a restaurant. The couple was able to survive by eating tinned food. To collect water, Oleksandr had to run outside to wells amid continuous shooting by the Russians.
They then decided to take help from private drivers, who drove through fields, dirt roads, narrow pathways behind all the checkpoints to save them from Russian soldiers' scanning in the absence of proper documents. One of the drivers risked everything and managed to get them around 12 Russian checkpoints on their way to Zaporizhzhia. From there, the couple took an overnight train to Lviv.
Russians have surrounded the city or Mariupol and bombing it continuously for weeks, advancing street by street. If the city falls, this will be the first major victory for Russia, which launched the Ukraine invasion on February 24.
