17 March 2026

Odesa honors memory of those killed by Russians in Mariupol drama theater

(PHOTO: Intent/Natalia Dovbysh)

Several dozen people gathered near the Odesa Opera House on March 16 to honor the victims of the Russian airstrike on the theater in Mariupol in 2022.

The participants of the action laid out the word "Children" with candles in front of the theater, as was the inscription in front of the theater in Mariupol.

Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater - The regional academic drama theater in Mariupol was destroyed by a direct hit from a high-powered bomb dropped from a Russian bomber on March 16, 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

After the bombing, the central part of the theater was destroyed, and the entrance to the bomb shelter located in the building was blocked by debris. Satellite images showed that in front of the theater and behind it in the park, there were inscriptions on the asphalt in large letters in white paint that read "Children".

As of May 4, 2022, according to an Associated Press investigation, about 600 people were killed in an air strike on the Mariupol drama theater.

In July 2023, the occupation authorities ordered the complete pouring of concrete into the basement of the theater and the start of construction from scratch under the guise of reconstruction.

Last year, a similar commemoration event was already held in the same city. Also on March 16.

Кирило Бойко

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