Society

Thousands of wounded, but no status: the state does not recognize Mariupol residents as war victims

In 2022, Mariupol became a symbol of the resilience and indomitability of the Ukrainian people. For 86 days, its residents survived massive Russian shelling, air strikes and a blockade. However, it now appears that for the Ukrainian state, wounded Mariupol residents who suffered after March 5, 2022, do not fall under the definition of victims of hostilities. This was reported on Facebook by photographer Yevhen Sosnovsky, who was able to leave Mariupol after 62 days of being under siege, Komersant ukrainskyi reports

Absurd document: war or “domestic trauma”?

Yevhen Sosnovsky has recently received a document that negates the reality experienced by thousands of Mariupol residents.

“Today, I came across an interesting document, according to which all the injuries and traumas (including mine-blast injuries) that Mariupol residents received in Mariupol after March 5, 2022, and which even led to a person’s disability (according to all medical and other documents), are not considered to have been “received during the period and on the territory of the activities necessary to ensure the defense of Ukraine.” Or, to put it simply, all such injuries and traumas of Mariupol residents are in no way related to the conduct of hostilities on the territory of the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, whose defense lasted until May 20 (according to official data). Or even more simply, these were just ordinary “domestic injuries,” Yevhen is outraged.

According to him, this means that the state denies 86 days of defense of Mariupol, tens of thousands of people killed by Russian bombs and even the bombing of the theater on March 16.

“There were no 86 days of defense of the city. There were no tens of thousands of Mariupol residents killed by Russian bombs, missiles and shells. And the bomb on the theater on March 16 was also dropped by Ukraine. Because the Russians could not have bombed and shelled themselves in a city they had already occupied. And there were no our soldiers in the city center on March 8 bringing flowers to the girls in the hospital, and I did not talk to our soldiers on March 18 near my house on Metallurgiv Avenue in the city center when I was trying to find a doctor for the children and their mother who were wounded during the Russian shelling,” Sosnovsky recalls.

He adds:

“And the Russians did not burn down our high-rise building on Metallurgiv Avenue in the city center on March 20, and they did not continue to destroy Mariupol in March and April. Still, this is a lie. Right?”

According to him, it turns out that the city of Mariupol was already occupied on March 5, and no hostilities “related to the defense of Ukraine” were conducted on the territory of Mariupol after March 5.

“And the people of Mariupol were ‘swimming in the sea’ (according to Mr. Dianov). And then the number of dead Mariupol residents confidently fits into the 2400 people counted by the “world-famous” Bob Woodward in his new book “War,” the photographer added.

Victims without support

One such victim is Natalia Yukhmanova, who lost an eye, sustained severe arm injuries and other serious injuries during Russian shelling.

She applied for state aid, but was denied.

“Natalia Yukhmanova survived the explosion, but she was seriously injured, lost her eye, has significant injuries to her hands and other health problems. According to Ukrainian law, she tried to get the status of a person with a war-related disability. However, she received only this piece of paper from the state, according to which, as of March 5, 2022, she was no longer considered a citizen of Ukraine and has no right to receive appropriate support and assistance from the state as a victim of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine…” Sosnovsky said.

The problem of bureaucracy and indifference

The situation with pensions for Mariupol residents is no less absurd. Yevhen Sosnovsky recounts a case when the pension fund refused to allow him to choose a bank to receive payments, arguing that “Mariupol was occupied before February 24, 2022.”

“When I was applying for a pension, the Pension Fund office told me to apply for a ‘pension card’ only at Oschadbank. When I asked why, I received an answer: “Because Mariupol was occupied before February 24, 2022″(!). After I explained that Mariupol was captured only in May 2022, I was allowed to apply for a card at another bank. But in this case, simple explanations are not enough,” the photographer notes.

Sosnovsky appealed to the Human Rights Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets to intervene.

“And as I once wrote on my page, if the state wants to return Ukrainians from abroad, it must first turn its face to those people who believed in Ukraine and stayed here.
Dear Mr. Lubinets, perhaps you can somehow help establish justice in this matter,” he emphasizes.

Thousands of Mariupol residents, like Natalia Yukhmanova, are waiting for their status to be recognized and for the support that the law promises.