Ukraine’s port city of Mariupol is home to 500,000 people. It was captured briefly by Russia-backed separatists in 2014. The city was retaken by Ukrainian troops the same year, but has remained very close to the frontline between Ukrainian and separatist forces ever since. Now Mariupol has come under attack again, following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine that began on February 24, 2022. Taking Mariupol would enable Russia to create a land corridor between areas controlled by pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine and annexed Crimea, securing access to the sea of Azov. The city is currently under siege, its inhabitants trapped. More than 1,200 people are believed to have died.

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This article by Valeria Costa-Kostritsky appeared on OpenDemocracy on March 11, 2022. It is republished as part of a content-sharing partnership and has been edited to fit the GV style and the republished article first appeared on globalvoices.org