Russia is about to start staging plays at the Mariupol theatre it bombed

When an airstrike tore through the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol on March 16, 2022, hundreds of people were in and around the building at the time, including civilians seeking shelter from Moscow’s deadly invasion. 

There are conflicting reports on how many were killed in the blast, but legal experts say there is overwhelming evidence that the strike constituted a war crime. Investigations based on witness testimony point to a Russian strike on the theatre. Moscow denies destroying it, and instead blames Ukraine.

Now, nearly four years later, Russian-appointed officials say the theatre, now under their control, has been rebuilt, modernized and is nearly ready to host audiences of nearly 500. 

They are billing it as a careful restoration of a treasured culture site, but Ukrainians who have fled Mariupol are calling it an act of desecration.

“There were so many people in the theatre during the bombing and a lot of people were killed there,” said Ihor Kytrysh, an actor who had been performing at the Mariupol theatre since 2000, and is now living in western Ukraine.

“It’s like performing a play on the bones of the dead."

Russian state media reported that the theatre is slated to officially reopen on Dec. 25, and that plays will start being staged there at some point in the new year.

The theatre troupe in Mariupol is currently putting on performances at different venue, and officials say that will continue over the holidays.

Russia has promoted its restoration of the site, saying that hundreds of construction workers were deployed to carefully rebuild the theatre while preserving its historic facade. Occupation authorities have renamed the building the Mariupol Republican Order of the Badge of Honour Russian Drama Theatre. They note on the theatre's website that it's being reborn, like the entire city of Mariupol. 

In the weeks after Moscow launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24, 2022, Russia spent weeks trying to capture the strategic eastern port city. 

The theatre strike in March 2022 happened shortly after 10 a.m., with Amnesty International concluding that Russian aircraft likely launched two 500-kilogram bombs at the site. 

It's not clear how many were killed; estimates vary widely. A report by Human Rights Watch suggests at least 15 died in the blast, while an investigation by the Associated Press puts the number closer to 600.

Two weeks after the airstrike, Russian forces had moved into the centre of the city. 

One day before the blast, Kytrysh and his family fled to Berdyansk, another port city about 65 kilometres to the west.