‘Ivan Grynko (2005-2022) died after shelling hit his house in Mariupol.’

Ivan just turned 17 and his whole future stretched before him and was cut short after Russia came in to ‘liberate’ him from ‘Nazis’. Instead it took his life and he will never be able to love, suffer, aspire, learn things, be happy or loathe.

photo by Zagybli.Pamyat.Mariuopol/Telergam

‘Oleksandr Lotkov, 61-years-old Mariuopol school janitor. Called ‘Uncle Sasha’, he place people in the school bomb shelter that provided cover for over 180 locals and died on March 10 2022, as a result of shelling, when he walked around the territory after a night shelling of a neighboring kindergarten. Uncle Sasha…”

This brief account of his death tells so much of the man and his life. He was caring, protective. He loved his work and people. Like many others, uncle Sasha perished only because Russian troops were rushing to get their bloody work done before May 9 and hold their goddamn parade on May 9 literally over the bones of people like Uncle Sasha.

The Telegram channel has already catalogued the stories of 753 people who perished in the Russian onslaught on Mariupol.

Each story has a line citing cause/circumstances of their deaths.  They are laconic and grim.

‘Shelling’.

‘From shrapnel wounds’.

‘Was driving his family out of the city,  came under mortar fire’.

‘Found with bruises, his hands were tied  and eyes duct-taped’.

‘Died with her mom’. ‘Direct hit in the house/car’.

‘In a fire caused by shelling’.

‘Died from shrapnel wounds while putting out a fire in the house saving a woman and her little child’.

‘The heart failure’.

‘Shot in the car’.

‘Died of hunger and dehidration’.

‘Killed’.

‘House was hit’.

‘Due to an illness caused by stress exacerbated by the ongoing combat operations, and the lack of medicines’.

‘Died in Grad missile attack’. ‘

Died under the rubble with her son Mykola’.

‘Ran with his father to save a grandmother and got killed after the shell hit their apartment’.

The Telegram channel has mentions of mass graves.

‘The mass grave at Peremogy 97 Street, the killed people were buried in the shell crater, don’t know the names and have no images of them’.

photo by Zagybli.Pamyat.Mariupol/ Telegram

The records are upsetting. They bring together people who lost their dear ones to the war that keep crippling people’s lives.

‘Today I have learnt about the death of my husband, Vitaliy Voytov. He was born in 1984. Now he is on the premises of our house in 17 Rimsky-Korsakov street, still not buried.. My sun, I love you, You were my loving man – Your wife and daughter Anastasia-  you were the best stepfather.

Rest in heaven, we will remember you and love, will never forget you, you are in our heart. Wait for me, I will be by your side I can’t live without you! Love you, my dear!’

There are photos of those who were ‘lucky’ to have a last resting place in the regular graveyard, and not in the mass grave or forever trapped in the rubble of the building destroyed by shelling.

Ivan Gagarin July 13, 2010- April 2, 2022

Anna Gagarina October 10 – April 2, 2022

photo by Zagybli.Pamyat.Mariupol/ Telegram

Brother Vanya was 12, his little sister Anya was 9…

Russian state television would saya that Vanya and Anya were fascists. Or would dryly report Russian forces destroyed ‘one more site of Ukraine’s military infrastucture’.

‘Serhiy Parashchevin. Died on April 7 near his house at the railway station, went to bury his brother Pavlo and was killed by a sniper. Buried with his brother in their yard.’

There are records about killed children. Lots of killed kids. People are pouring out their sorrow.

‘It is 40th day after the death of our fair, loved boy. Andriy Volyk (June 13, 1996 – March 24, 2022). Buried at Vynohradne. Eternal memory. We remember, love, grieve. Rest in peace, our dear’

To take my mind off posts about dead people, I sometimes read on Instagram: “Let’s spread information about Putin’s atrocities among Russians so that Russians know the truth”.

You should have no illusions. Russians know the truth. They know that Russia is slaughtering Ukrainians. They have nothing against the fact. Killing people, kids or adults,  is not a problem for them as long as it can be explained. And this is already the task of Russian television, and it successfully copes with this task.

‘Tetyana Bakanova died on March 3 at 12 Meotidy Street, 2 driveway. Died at the entrance door after a shell hit the house.  She is not buried. Mommy, you will always be in my heart!

Until every Russian has his or her child, or a neighbor, buried in the backyard of their house, or at the city flowerbed…because it is impossible under bullets. Or impossible, because there is no one to bury the dead. Because of the rubble. Because of shelling. Until then, there is no chance that the Russians will understand something.

The Nazi propaganda cultivated by Russia in the war against Ukraine and the civilized world is about religion, not hard facts. Their religion is to bring death, pain, fear. Russians are missioners of evil.

‘My son-in-law Valentyn Filkevych, born in 1977. He died on March 15 after the shell hit our yard in 65 Olimpiyska St. Buried in the shell crater, in  the green zone, between 65 Olimpiyska St. and 7 130th Tahanroh Division St.

Buried in the shell crater.. The phrase  sounds surreal.

Putin is not a madman. He is just methodically pursuing his goal to terminate Ukrainians. Russia is orchestrating the new genocide of the Ukrainian people. And he has full support from 140 million of Russians.

Khadzhava Anastasia, 27 years old, daughter Karolina – 2.5 years old, died together with her husband in Mariupol Drama Theater.  Her granparents and elder sister, 7-year old Lera, survived.

photo by Zagybli.Pamyat.Mariupol/ Telegram

This photo from Anastasiya’s Instagram page dates back to July, 2020. Caroline was 11 month old. Her mother captioned the photo with words wishing her baby a happy life.

photo by Zagybli.Pamyat.Mariupol/ Telegram

Two years later, Putin, the Russian army and the Russian people took the life of this child.

Anastasiya posted her last  Instagram photo on February 6, 2022. She was at the skating rink, careless and full of life.

A month later, Russian shelling turned the local theater where their family took refuge into their last resting place. The attack left some 600 people buried in the rubble.

These days, the municipal services of the “Russian world” (“Russkij mir”) hastily sort out the rubble before May 9 to celebrate their ‘Victory Day’. They are using mobile crematoriums to cover up their war crimes. Mariupol drama theater was a landmark site. Not anymore. In few days, its ruins will see the marching Russian parade that will come trampling people’s dead bodies, lives, hearts.

Mariupol turned into a mass grave under the damn Russian flag. The flag of thieves, rapists, marauders and murderers.

“Never stop being a good person because of bad people!!!”, Anastasiya wrote in her Instagram profile.

Nastya, we will never go bad. We will restore justice for you, your daughter Caroline, who didn’t live to see her 3rd birthday, for your husband, for 7-year old Lera, who was left an orphan.

Writing stories like this one is not my job.

I’m just a member of the Telegram channel “Victims. Rememberence. Mariupol” and I hope never to see there the names of those whom I’m looking for and love.