Mariupol resident shares harrowing account of Putin's barbaric siege
22 March 2022, 17:31
Diana Berg recently fled Mariupol for Lviv as Putin's troops intensify their seige of the port city. She tells Eddie Mair about the situation in the city.
"There is no way to get in to Mariupol to talk to people there" Ms Berg told Eddie as she recounted the scenes she witnessed before fleeing for the city of Lviv on the Ukraine border. "Everything we know is from those who've just escaped."
Mariupol has seen some of the most violent scenes in Vladimir Putin's invasion of Ukraine.
The city stands as a corridor between Russian occupied Crimea and the newly annexed regions of Donbas and Luhansk and thus Russian forces have piled resources into the outskirts of the city.
Read more: Russian forces bomb art school where 400 people were taking shelter in Mariupol
The barbarism seen in the city has led to many commentators calling for the Russian president being tried for war crimes.
"Everyday it gets worse and worse" Ms Berg insisted.
Read more: Mariupol a 'mousetrap' with bodies scattered and people melting snow to drink, says Ukrainian MP
Read more: Ukraine rejects Putin's order to surrender besieged Mariupol as fighting engulfs city
Read more: Survivors 'emerging alive' after Russian bomb hits theatre used as shelter in Mariupol
"Every building is damaged. Either it's ruined or burned [and even if there's something left] people are living in these ruins."
Eddie was taken aback by Ms Berg's account. She detailed the conditions some residents are living in following a series of horrific attacks by Russia.
"It's even worse than anything you could even imagine. There is no words to explain what happens."
"What do you think the Russians want to do with Mariupol?" Eddie wondered, to which Ms Berg declared "they want to ruin it."