The “City of Mary” group is an initiative dedicated to honouring the victims of the Mariupol Drama Theater tragedy and supporting those affected. This project has united communities across Ukraine in a collective act of remembrance and solidarity with all residents of occupied Mariupol.
The project’s coordinator, Alevtyna Shvetsova, is a representative of the “City of Mary” team. Despite the city’s occupation, she continues to fight for its liberation. As a journalist and activist, she has personally endured the horrors of war and was forced to evacuate to save her family.
“City of Mary” initiates numerous events in support of Mariupol. One of the most powerful traditions has been the annual recreation of the “ДЕТИ” (“CHILDREN”) sign in various cities across Ukraine—the same message that was written in front of the theatre in Mariupol, where more than 600 people, including children, sought refuge. This plea for protection should have saved them from an airstrike, but Russian pilots ignored this symbol of humanity and dropped a bomb on the building.
For the third consecutive year, the March 16 commemoration includes memorial ceremonies, eyewitness testimonies, documentary screenings, and art and photography exhibitions in cities across Ukraine and Europe—including Lviv, Dnipro, Zhytomyr, Gdańsk (Poland), Vienna (Austria), and Utrecht (Netherlands). This event not only honours the memory of the victims but also serves as a platform for reflection and a call to action.
The “DE TY: Where Are You?” project is proud to collaborate with “City of Mary” and the Mariupol City Administration, both of whom work tirelessly for the city’s de-occupation. Our shared mission is to ensure that the world does not forget the abducted and lost children of Ukraine and to bring them home. Even under occupation, we continue the fight for justice and every child’s right to a safe future in their homeland.
