Ukrainians in Mariupol fear for family, friends after Russian attacks from ‘hell’: ‘The city is on fire’

International consideration fell on the Ukrainian port metropolis of Mariupol after information of Russia‘s missile assaults on the town surfaced Thursday.

An estimated 17 individuals have been injured and three have been killed, together with one little one, after Russian forces shelled residential buildings and a kids’s hospital with a maternity ward, in keeping with Ukrainian officers.

Now, Ukrainians with family and friends within the metropolis are struggling to contact their family members to verify they’re okay.

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Vira Protskych, who grew up in Mariupol however not too long ago fled to Rivne — greater than 600 miles from her hometown — instructed Fox Information Digital that the town seems to be prefer it got here out of “a typical American apocalyptic movie, however it’s actual.”

“The town is in destroy. Many buildings like hospitals and hearth stations and college campuses and personal homes are destroyed. [Blocks] of flats have been burnt as a result of shells fell there. Many buildings wouldn’t have home windows. The town is on hearth,” she mentioned. “Folks dwell in hell now in Mariupol. There are shelling and bombing of the town — civilian areas.”

She mentioned she calls her dad and mom as much as 30 occasions a day however nonetheless fails “to succeed in them each time.” Her neighbor’s son managed to contact his uncle, who shares information about Protskych’s home and household, however these updates come solely as soon as each “two, three and even 5 days.”

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Protskych and Olena Ivantsiv, who additionally grew up in Mariupol however is at the moment based mostly in Prague, detailed related scenes within the beloved metropolis the place they grew up based mostly on what they’ve heard from contacts nonetheless there.

Residents of Mariupol haven’t any gasoline, water, electrical energy, web or secure cell connection. Many are ingesting rainwater or melted snow. Folks stand in lengthy traces for humanitarian help and the few grocery shops nonetheless working.

“Individuals are amassing rainwater. They’re making fires within the [court]yards of many historic buildings … as a result of Mariupol is that this industrial, Soviet metropolis,” Ivasntsiv mentioned. “Folks haven’t any electrical energy, and the gasoline is just not working. And since there is no such thing as a water, they’re amassing the rainwater. It is actually a catastrophe. I can not even think about.”

Ivantsiv additionally described a worry of Russian troopers on the outskirts of the town, saying ceasefire agreements made since final week have failed.

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She believes that “98%” of Ukrainians need to keep in Ukraine, are the opposite 2% are largely individuals with babies who “do not know tips on how to survive and tips on how to ensure that the youngsters do not get traumatized and killed.”

Ukrainians are attempting to remain optimistic, and there may be an amazing sense of delight for the nation’s residents and leaders, however Russia’s invasion has been surprising.

Ukrainian troopers journey in a army car in Mariupol, Ukraine, Thursday, Feb. 24, 2022. (AP Picture/Sergei Grits)

“When it occurred on the twenty fourth of February, everybody was shocked, and everybody remains to be shocked as a result of the state of affairs remains to be creating. They do not know what to do. So, for instance, in Mariupol, that was presupposed to be the primary goal from the very starting of the invasion, however it was fairly calm throughout the first section of the battle,” Ivantsiv mentioned, explaining that Mariupol is a strategic get for Russia due to its proximity to Crimea.

“Folks simply do not know what to do, the place to go, and [how far] from their hometowns to go,” she continued.

An estimated 2.3 million individuals have fled Ukraine up to now, in keeping with the U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Refugees.

The Workplace of the U.N. Excessive Commissioner for Human Rights estimates that 549 Ukrainians have been killed as of Thursday, and almost a thousand others have been injured since Russia started invading on Feb. 24.