Ihor Navka
Ihor was born and lived in Mariupol, where he worked at Illich Steel and Iron Works.
In early March 2022, due to intensive shelling of the district where Ihor lived and to evacuate the city, he and his wife came to the Drama Theatre. Due to the violation of the evacuation corridor agreements by the Russian Federation army, Ihor and his wife, along with hundreds of Mariupol residents, had to stay in the theater and wait. They immediately joined the volunteer activities and helped with cooking, searching for water, and necessities, as well as with the arrangement of the building space.
On 16 March 2022, when the Russian Federation army attacked the Drama Theatre, Ihor was behind the stage on the first floor in the left wing of the building. The explosion heavily damaged this theater section, and Ihor was trapped under the rubble. Later, he was helped to get out. After the attack, he managed to leave Mariupol.
This is a short version of a four-hour interview with Ihor, which was conducted using the methodology of situated testimonies. Ihor talks about self-organization and volunteering at the theater, describes the aftermath of the bombing of the building and the difficult process of evacuating the city under siege.
The interview was created with the financial support of European Union, International Renaissance Foundation
This publication/interview was compiled with the support of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation within the framework «European Renaissance of Ukraine» project. Its content is the exclusive responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily reflect the views of the European Union and the International Renaissance Foundation.
