The shelling of Mariupol: three years from the day of the dreadful tragedy

The day of January 24, 2015 became one of the most tragic days in Mariupol history of - Vostochnyi district were shelled with the MRLS 'Grad' like a fiery rain that brought death, pain and massive destructions to the city.

At 9:20 the windows all over Mariupol buildings shook of the explosions. Vostochnyi plunged into darkness: the residential area was enveloped in acrid smoke, houses and cars were burning, the screams of the victims were heard and children were crying, the bodies of the dead and wounded fell to the ground.

As a result of massive shelling, 31 people died, 118 were wounded.

Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center instantly responded - the necessary medications were delivered to the city hospitals, and assistance was provided in urgent operations. Volunteers were on duty in city clinics to promptly resolve all issues of the victims and to facilitate the doctors’ work. More than 500 families left without a roof over their head received products. Crisis psychologists, employees of the Center, also took over the watch. They worked with those who turned out to be under fire, the families of the dead and wounded.

Many was supported greatly and returned to life and overcame fears. There was a child in one family who was afraid to return to the surviving apartment, because he was frightened by explosions so much. The little girl from another family fell to the floor and screamed when she heard the rumbling. There were a lot of such cases. Therefore, the Center employees conducted extensive work in Mariupol schools to provide psychological support to children.

According to Rinat Akhmetov’s decision, the Humanitarian Center took full care of 71 adults and 9 children who needed urgent treatment because of the January 24 tragedy. Some of these guys are still undergoing rehabilitation treatment courses, due to the Center's “Rehabilitation of injured children” project.

Mariupol has become a key point on the Humanitarian Center’s map. There is a distribution center here, where the convoys with humanitarian aid for the victims of the military conflict have been arriving for three and a half years. On the tragic day of January 24, 2015, volunteers did not stop their mission. When there was panic in the city, there was no mobile communication and a lot of people knew nothing about their relatives’ and friends’ fate, the volunteers - employees of the Ilyich Iron and Steel Works and Azovstal - continued to form the “survival kits”. They knew that people who were in trouble hoped for their assistance.

Mariupol tragedy showed that the main mission of the Humanitarian Center - to help here and now - is feasible. The work of the Center continues. The 310th convoy with humanitarian aid will arrive in Mariupol on January 29. From there, on February 1, product packages will come to the residents of the “grey zone”.

Thanks to the help of Rinat Akhmetov Humanitarian Center, the lives of more than 1 million people have already been saved.