Oleksandr Myronenko
Oleksandr was born and lived in Mariupol, where he worked as a builder.
After the war escalated and the situation in Mariupol deteriorated, in early March 2022, Oleksandr and a friend went to the Drama Theatre in search of safe shelter. At first, he lived in the lobby on the first floor and later in the room next door. Together, they joined the theater’s volunteer group, where they monitored safety in the theater, helped with the resettlement of people in the building, and organized related processes.
On 16 March 2022, when the Russian Federation army attacked the Drama Theatre, Oleksandr was on the second floor, in the banqueting room. A blast wave partially damaged the room, causing a wall to fall, but Oleksandr and other people nearby were not seriously injured. After the airstrike, Oleksandr stayed near the ruins of the theater for some time, helping to rescue people trapped under the rubble. Soon after the attack, he managed to evacuate Mariupol.
This is a short version of a seven-hour interview with Oleksandr, which was conducted using the methodology of spatial testimonies. Oleksandr tells about self-organization, life in the building during the city’s siege, and the aftermath of an air strike on the theater.
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.
