Maripo residents reject the Russian story about the city.

Ukrainian John, who lives in Mario Paul, Russia, said, “What they show on Russian TV is a fairy tale for fools, most of which are still in the ruins, we have changed his name, fearing Russian authorities’ retaliation.

“They can shoot the camera by repairing the exterior of the building on the main street. But the corner has debris and emptiness. Many people still live in a semi -destructive apartment with little walls.”

It has been three years since Mariepol was taken by the Russian army after the main moment of a full -fledged attack by the Russian army after the brutal siege and indiscriminate bombings.

Thousands of people died and the United Nations was damaged or destroyed by 90%of residential buildings.

In recent months, videos and reels of influential influential people in many Russians have painted a glossy city where damaged structures were repaired and life returned to normal.

But the BBC talks with more than six people, and some live in Maripol, and others have escaped after taking time and others talked about how the city’s life is.

66 -year -old Olha Onyshko says he escaped from Mariupol at the end of last year and is currently living in Ternopil in Ukraine.

“(Russian authorities) will not say that they have repaired many things. There is a central plaza. Only buildings have been reconstructed. And there are empty spaces where buildings are standing. They have removed debris but have not separated dead bodies and are not loaded into trucks in the city.”

Maripo also faces severe water shortages.

“Water does not come for three days for a day or two. We keep a bucket and a can of water in the house. The color of the water is scary to drink even after boiling too yellow.”

Some even said that the water looks like “Coca -Cola.”

Serhii Orlov, the deputy mayor of Marieu Paul in the asylum, said Siverskyi Donets -Donbas canal, which supplied water to the city, was damaged during the battle.

Serhii says, “The current population may have lasted for about a year and a half. It means that there is no drinking water at all because the occupation lasts longer.”

There are frequent power cuts, food is expensive, and medicines are not enough, the residents tell us.

James said, “Basic medicines cannot be used. Patients with diabetes are having difficulty getting insulin on time and expensive.”

The BBC contacted the Russian administration in Marieu Paul to respond to allegations of tribes and whether they found an alternative source of water. We haven’t got a response so far.

Despite the difficulties, the most difficult part of living in the city is to watch what Ukrainian children are teaching at school, residents say.

Andrii Kozhushyna studied for a year after studying at a university in Mariupol. Now he escaped to DNIPRO.

Andrii says, “For example, according to school textbooks, Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia, Kherson, Odesa, Creamea and even the DNipropetrovsk areas are already part of Russia.”

He also explained a special lesson that in 2022, in 2022, how Russia teaches students how to liberate people who use Russia in the region in the Nazis.

John, a resident of Marieupol, said, “Teachers who refuse to receive this lesson have been threatened or fired, saying John, a resident of Mario Paul.

At the celebration of World War II in May, the image of Central Square in Mariepole showed children and adults dressed in military costumes participating in parades and performances. The tradition of the Soviet era, which Ukraine is more and more evacuated, is now imposed on the occupied territory. Mariupol was bathed in the color of the Russian flag -red, blue and white.

However, some Ukrainians are secretly resistant to Russia, paint at the dead marks of Ukrainian blue and yellow colors on the walls, and paste flyers with messages such as “Libare Mariupol” and “Mariupol is ukraine”.

James and John are members of the resistance group, like Andrii when they lived in the city.

James said, “This message is a moral support for our people, which means to announce that resistance is alive.

Their main goal is to collect information for the Ukrainian army.

James said, “It documentes information about the Russian military movement, and I analyze where they are transporting weapons, where many soldiers are in the city, where they leave, and what equipment they are repairing in industrial areas.

Sometimes the resistance group tries to interfere with civil or military operations. At least two times, the railroad route of Maripolo was confused because the signal box was fired by the sportsmen.

It is dangerous. Andrii said he had to leave when he realized that he was exposed.

“Perhaps my neighbors were soaked in me. But when I was in the shop where I bought a bread, I saw the soldier showing my photos to the cashier.”

He immediately passed through Marieu Paul’s checkpost, passed through numerous cities in Russia, and left immediately before entering Ukraine from the north through Belarus.

It is still a challenge for people in the city.

James said, “You can check your phone with a checkpoint, so delete the message every day.

“A person from a neighbor’s house was arrested on the street because someone claimed that he had delivered information to the Ukrainian army. Your life is like a movie. It is constant tension, fear, distrust.”

As the dialogue between Ukraine and Russia continued, there was a proposal that the land should be recognized on behalf of Ukraine and outside the peace contract.

John said, “It will be a betrayal to give up the territory for” dealing with Russia, “dozens of people will be at risk of their lives to convey information to Ukraine every day.

“We do not want peace at any cost. We want to liberate.”

IMOGEN ANDERSON, ANASTASIA LEVCHENKO, VolodyMyr Lozhko and Sanjay Gangly