Mariupol stories: Living under Russian liberation

Each trip to Ukrainian territory becomes a multi-step journey for those in areas occupied by Russia. The only functioning border crossing between Ukraine and Belarus remains a narrow corridor through which thousands of people try to return to their families.

23-year-old Alina returned to her hometown of Mariupol after three years. The city, which once thrived with life, is completely different today. "The Mariupol I knew doesn't exist anymore" - Alina tells Deutsche Welle. Moscow annexed these territories in 2022.

Alina travelled through Ukraine, Poland, Belarus, and Russia to see her parents. The five-day journey cost her about £610. She recalls a Russian border official asking: "Why don't you want to stay in Russia?"

When asked how her parents are doing, she responds briefly: "They're surviving." Forced to live in new conditions, they barely make ends meet. Her mother works in a hair salon, and her father is a construction worker.

70-year-old Ljubow decided to see her children and grandchildren in Odessa. The Ukrainian woman comes from a village near Mariupol. After three years of separation, she decided for the first time to leave the occupied territories.

Before the war, the trip took her a few hours by bus. The detour through Russia, Belarus, and European Union countries took two days and cost £260. She had to walk the last three kilometres.

— Thank God our border guards put my suitcase on a cart — she says in an interview with a Deutsche Welle reporter.

Ljubow admits that she possesses a Russian passport, but only out of necessity. A pension of £140 is her only source of income. However, it is not enough to cover basic needs. The cost of coal for winter is £340, forcing her to go hungry and save for three months. "I haven't got anyone there anymore," she admits.