Russia Reopens Occupied Mariupol Theater More Than Three Years After Deadly 2022 Airstrike

The Associated Press reports that the historic theater in the Russian-occupied Ukrainian city of Mariupol has reopened more than three years after it was destroyed in a Russian airstrike that killed hundreds of civilians sheltering inside.

Moscow-installed authorities marked the reopening of the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater with a gala concert on Sunday night. Images distributed by Russian state media showed the rebuilt venue’s marble pillars and staircases, as well as performers wearing traditional Russian kokoshnik headdresses dancing on the new main stage.

As BroadwayWorld previously reported, the original theater was struck on March 16, 2022, during Russia’s siege of Mariupol in the early weeks of its invasion of Ukraine. At the time, hundreds of civilians were sheltering inside after weeks of intense shelling. The word 'children' had been painted in large letters on the pavement outside the building, visible from the air.

It was reported that about 600 people were killed inside and near the theater, nearly double an initial estimate released by Ukrainian authorities. Russia had falsely claimed that Ukrainian forces had demolished the building.

Russian forces took control of Mariupol’s city center shortly after the strike. The remains of the destroyed theater were later bulldozed, and human remains were reportedly transferred to mass graves in and around the city.

Mariupol’s Ukrainian city council, which relocated to Ukrainian-controlled territory after the occupation, condemned the reopening. In a statement posted on Telegram, the council described the event as “singing and dancing on bones,” calling the reconstruction a cynical effort to conceal evidence of a war crime and part of a broader policy of Russification.

The theatre has a long history in Mariupol, tracing its roots back to one of the first theatrical troops recorded in the area in 1847. The theatre company celebrated its 100th anniversary in 1978. The current re-constructed building opened in 1960.

The Donetsk region remains a central battleground in the ongoing war. Russia declared its illegal annexation of the region in 2022, though it does not control all of the territory. Control of Donetsk remains a key issue in negotiations aimed at ending the conflict.