ZAPOROZHYE, Ukraine (AP) – Pale and withdrawn, the last civilians, sheltered in bunkers under a scattered steel plant in the devastated Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, arrived late Sunday night in Zaporozhye, Ukraine’s first major frontline.
The beaten survivors spoke of constant shelling, declining food, widespread mold – and the use of hand sanitizer for cooking fuel.
Ten buses slowly entered the deserted streets of Zaporozhye in the dark, carrying 174 evacuees from the Mariupol region. They include more than 30 of the 51 civilians evacuated on the last day from the Azovstal steel plant, where about 2,000 Ukrainian fighters are doing what appears to be their latest battle. Both Ukrainian and Russian officials said the civilians were the last non-combatants in the industrial complex.
“It was awful in the bunkers,” said Lyubov Andropova, 69, who has been with Azovstal since March 10. “The water would flow from the ceilings. There was mold everywhere. We were worried about the children, about their lungs. “
The shelling was constant and there was a fear that “our bunker would collapse,” she said. Everything shook, we didn’t go out.
The seaside steel plant is the only part of Mariupol that is not under Russian control. Thanks to its maze of tunnels and bunkers deep underground, many civilians had chosen it as the safest place to hide from the relentless shelling of the once thriving port city, which is now largely destroyed.
Only a few days after the start of the war on February 24, Dmitry Svidakov took refuge in the bunkers with his wife and 12-year-old daughter. They entered Azovstal on February 27. It took more than two months before they could leave.
Crowded in a bunker with about 50 to 60 people, the first month and a half was bearable, he said, but then the shelling intensified. A food storage area was blown up and he and others resorted to clearing, including a search of workers’ lockers. Cooking fuel was also scarce, but then they found that hand sanitizer – well stocked for the coronavirus pandemic – was a good substitute.
“What can’t you do when you have nothing!” he said while waiting for a bus to transport evacuees from Azovstal to temporary accommodation in Zaporozhye.
Yehor, an employee of the steel factory who took refuge in the bunker, which would only give his last name, was in the bunker with his two sons, his wife and their dog. He said that when the food ran out, the soldiers defending Azovstal helped.
“We wouldn’t have succeeded otherwise,” he said. “I don’t know how long we could survive, but we certainly wouldn’t survive to this day.” For the last few days, all that was left was pasta, water, and a little spice — enough for soup once a day.
His family entered the mill on March 1 for safety, he said after he narrowly escaped the shelling while walking his dog.
Despite the widespread destruction of Mariupol, some of the 51 evacuees from Azovstal have chosen to stay in the city, said UN officials involved in ensuring a safe passage for the evacuees.
Two – a man and a woman – were detained by Russian forces. The woman, who was detained on suspicion of being a military medic, was traveling with her 4-year-old daughter. The mother and child are separated, and the little girl has reached Zaporozhye with the other evacuees, UN officials said.
But several hundred more, who wanted to join the evacuation convoy from other areas held by Russian forces, had to stay after Russia and Ukraine failed to reach an agreement on their evacuation.
“It was quite heartbreaking to see them waiting and not being able to join us,” said UN Humanitarian Coordinator Osnat Lubrani.
“In total, within 10 days we managed to involve a total of 600 people in very complex, high-risk, very sensitive safe passage operations,” Lubrani said, adding that the UN hopes to bring more civilians out into the future.
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