“Historic Image Restored”: Russia Reopens Mariupol Theater Site of 2022 Mass Casualty Strike

Russia-installed authorities in the temporarily occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol reopened the city’s drama theater on December 28, nearly three years after it was destroyed during Russia’s siege of the city in 2022, according to Suspilne on December 29. 

Suspilne, citing the Mariupol City Council’s Telegram channel, said the reopening was marked by a concert at the site and attended by Denis Pushilin, the Moscow-backed leader of the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, St. Petersburg Governor Aleksandr Beglov, and Russian actor Vladimir Mashkov.

The theater was hit on March 16, 2022, when Russian forces dropped a bomb on the building as civilians sheltered inside during the siege, with the word “Children” written in large letters outside.

Ukraine’s Donetsk regional prosecutor’s office has said more than 1,000 people were inside, with 600 killed and 400 wounded, while noting that a precise toll cannot be confirmed because the city remains under temporary occupation.

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Pushilin said, “The Mariupol Drama Theatre has reopened its doors to spectators,” adding that its “historic image” had been restored with modern equipment.

Suspilne added that reconstruction began in July 2023 and that basement areas were filled with concrete, while the Mariupol City Council said the rebuilt structure imitates the original building and is part of a broader russification effort in the city. 

Earlier, it was reported that Russian occupation authorities said “restoration work” on Mariupol’s drama theater was complete and that the venue would reopen for Russian performances despite the site’s association with the bombing of civilians sheltering there.

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