After getting through the Russian encirclement of the Ukrainian port city Mariupol on Thursday, Oleksander Sosnovsky talks to Israel Hayom about life under siege and the constant shelling.
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Earlier Thursday, the Ukrainian interior ministry confirmed that the city was surrounded and that both main roads out of it were blocked. Mariupol is the largest city in the strip of territory between the Crimean Peninsula and the Russia border and the Sea of Azov, making it a key strategic target for the Russian forces.
"We haven't had electricity, running water, or communications for two days," he says.
"The Russians destroyed the cellular network and are blocking the radio. They are intentionally wrecking infrastructure to create panic and suffering," he says. Oleksander lives in Mariupol with his wife, Diana.
"The Russians are shelling residential areas constantly. The residents are forced to hide in basements and go out every few hours to try and cool on open fires, outside, when the temperature is below freezing," he adds.
Oleksander also says that locals left without communications were forced to contact each other through notices posted in public places.
"It looks like they're not interested in occupying the city. The Russian soldiers are far away. It looks like the Russians just want to destroy it. [The city] was formerly a symbol of Ukrainian resistance in Donbas," Oleksander explains, referring to Mariupol residents' resistance to the pro-Russian separatists during the civil war that erupted in 2014.
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