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What the Russian aggressors did to Mariupol should be appealed to the whole world so that this crime can be seen, heard and felt in every corner of the globe. This is exactly what the students of Mariupol State University, who presented their video at the Beilive Film Festival thanks to the Saving Lives project, think.

This spring, hundreds of thousands of Mariupol residents have found themselves in a complete blockade under the continuous shelling of Russian invaders from the sky, sea and land. Enemies were destroying everything and in sequence. They broke all utility systems so that people at sub-zero temperatures were left without electricity, heating, water, sewerage and communication. Entire residential areas were bombed and burned, along with people hiding in cellars. They dropped air bombs onto schools, hospitals and shelters for thousands of people. The most painful and cynical crime against civilians was an airstrike on the Drama Theatre in the very heart of Mariupol. Here, more than 1,000 people were hiding from bombs and shells – mostly women with children and elderly people.

To tell about these crimes and horrors that took place in Mariupol, the students of Mariupol State University (MSU), which is now located in Kyiv, prepared a video material. It is about the spring of 2022 in a city on the coast of the Sea of Azov. Thanks to the Saving Lives humanitarian project, the Rinat Akhmetov Foundation and Metinvest Group, creative girls were able to present their work at the Beilive Film Festival, held at the end of October in Verona (Italy).

The three young ladies study Journalism and Social Communication in Mariupol State University. They were the only ones who represented Ukraine at this event. Svitlana Frolkina, Kateryna Dichko and Tetiana Khlimenkova are sure that Mariupol should be talked about wherever possible.

“We are planning and trying to continue to disseminate information about Ukraine in our social networks and on those platforms where there is such an opportunity,” said Svitlana FROLKINA.

The girls say that their project is about the truth in Mariupol and the horror that people experienced there. The university teacher and President of Mariupol Television Mykola Osychenko, who was also with his family in Mariupol, helped the students with their work when the city was in enemy encirclement and was being destroyed every minute by the Russian army.

“Mariupol is the quintessence of this war. And the whole world should know about this war. The whole world should know about Mariupol. It is important for me to inform the world community about the horrors that we saw with our own eyes in our city,” noted Mykola OSYCHENKO .
In their video, the Ukrainian students also told about how life in Ukraine has changed after the attack of the Russian Federation on 24 February. The girls note that other participants of the film festival became interested in their story and asked many questions.

“We talked about what people in Ukraine are going through today, how often we have air raid alerts and how we feel when enemy missiles fly over our cities,” says Kateryna DICHKO, “People in other countries should know that Ukrainians are defending the entire civilized world at the cost of their own lives. And it’s not just about our military. Many people are dying. Children are dying. And what the Ukrainians are experiencing in the temporarily occupied cities is the tragedy of our nation”.
The students recall that their work aroused strong emotions among the participants of the event.

“The reaction of the audience could be felt even in the air,” Tetiana KHLIMENKOVA shares her impressions, “Everyone was interested and touched. There were those who cried without hiding their emotions. Even the men cried, which is good, because they felt our pain. The pain with which Ukraine lives today”.
“The interest was really great,” adds Svitlana FROLKINA, “After the main events, during our joint dinner, we communicated with the participants. Many of them were even younger than us, but they were interested in the political situation and asked about our life and the war in Ukraine”.
Svitlana notes that the girls were happy to get a new experience – both communication and professional one.

“All the films were made on socially important topics, but despite the seriousness of the plot, they were breathtaking. In general, the trip was interesting. We talked with different people, talked about what happened and what awaits the world ahead. The more Ukrainians participate in various events and tell the truth, the better for both Ukraine and the world in order to warn other countries what could happen in the event of a war,” Svitlana shared her opinion.
Thanks to the efforts of creative youth, teachers and fellow partners, the world has learned more about the tragic events in Mariupol and Ukraine, which were caused by the Russian attack on 24 February 2022.

“I am sincerely grateful to the Saving Lives humanitarian project for helping internally displaced persons from Mariupol and supporting the professional growth of our students,” said Mykola TROFYMENKO, Rector of Mariupol State University, “The participation of our young filmmakers in the festival is a worthy opportunity to tell their peers from all over the world about what young people experienced in Mariupol”.

“From this festival, the girls brought experience that we will definitely use. We will continue our work so that the hell the Russians have caused in Mariupol does not happen again anywhere else and ever”, emphasized Mykola OSYCHENKO, the teacher of television management at Mariupol State University.