The rail war rages on. On 1 July, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) announced the destruction of a Russian locomotive on temporarily occupied territory in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The targeted railway section, heavily used by Russian forces to move weapons and equipment, has been shut down again.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast continues to be repeatedly attacked by Russian drones and artillery attacks, causing damage to civilian infrastructure and energy objects. Despite these assaults, the obl
The rail war rages on. On 1 July, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) announced the destruction of a Russian locomotive on temporarily occupied territory in Zaporizhzhia Oblast. The targeted railway section, heavily used by Russian forces to move weapons and equipment, has been shut down again.
Zaporizhzhia Oblast continues to be repeatedly attacked by Russian drones and artillery attacks, causing damage to civilian infrastructure and energy objects. Despite these assaults, the oblast’s administrative center, Zaporizhzhia city, remains under Ukrainian control. The region has been under partial Russian occupation since 2022.
This marks the second strike on this key logistics route in recent days. On 26 June, Ukraine’s resistance movement, in coordination with HUR, sabotaged the same track. The resulting explosion disabled the line for over a week.
Despite rapid repair attempts, Russian troops fell into a trap once more.
“On 1 July, the occupiers restored the rails and ties, sent a military train, and then came another thunderous surprise: the enemy locomotive was knocked out,” HUR reported.
The agency added that one of the main supply arteries for the occupying army is now out of action again.
In the early hours of the same day, Russian forces launched more than 400 strikes across 13 settlements in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, said regional governor Ivan Fedorov.
A 56-year-old man was injured in the attack. Over the course of the day, Russian troops carried out four airstrikes, 271 UAV launches of various types (mostly FPV drones), six attacks using multiple rocket launchers, and 122 artillery strikes.
Authorities recorded 23 reports of damage to apartments, private homes, vehicles, and businesses.
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Three years after Russian forces captured Mariupol, something strange is happening on social media. Pro-Russia influencers are posting glossy videos of a rebuilt city where life looks normal again.
But what’s actually happening on the ground?
The BBC tracked down more than half a dozen people—some still trapped in the occupied city, others who recently escaped—to find out. Their accounts reveal a city where appearance and reality couldn’t be further apart.
In 2022, Mariupol endured a d
Three years after Russian forces captured Mariupol, something strange is happening on social media. Pro-Russia influencers are posting glossy videos of a rebuilt city where life looks normal again.
But what’s actually happening on the ground?
The BBC tracked down more than half a dozen people—some still trapped in the occupied city, others who recently escaped—to find out. Their accounts reveal a city where appearance and reality couldn’t be further apart.
In 2022, Mariupol endured a devastating siege by Russian forces from 24 February to 20 May, resulting in the near-total destruction of the city and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis. Russian troops encircled and relentlessly bombarded Mariupol, cutting off food, water, electricity, and medical supplies. Key atrocities included the bombing of a maternity hospital on 9 March and a deadly airstrike on the drama theater sheltering civilians on 16 March, with hundreds killed under the rubble. As fighting intensified, Ukrainian defenders and thousands of civilians were pushed into the Azovstal steel plant, which became the last holdout before its surrender in late May. The UN estimated that 90% of Mariupol’s residential buildings were damaged or destroyed during the siege. Thousands of civilians were killed.
Most of Mariupol still in ruins
“What they’re showing on Russian TV are fairy tales for fools,” said John, a Ukrainian still living in occupied Mariupol. The BBC changed his name to protect him from Russian authorities. “Most of Mariupol still lies in ruins.”
According to residents, Russian authorities have focused reconstruction efforts on main thoroughfares where cameras document progress. However, areas beyond these showcase routes remain largely destroyed. Many residents continue living in severely damaged apartments with compromised structural integrity.
“Rubble and emptiness. Many people still live in half-destroyed apartments with their walls barely standing,” John said.
New blocks of flats built by Russian occupation administration in occupied Mariupol next to burnt-out buildings damaged during the Russian siege of the city. Source: Novosti Donbasa
Russians don’t separate out dead bodies from rubble
Olha Onyshko, 66, escaped Mariupol late last year and now lives in Ternopil, western Ukraine. She watched this reconstruction theater firsthand. The cleanup process was particularly grim.
“They cleared the debris, but they didn’t even separate out the dead bodies. They were just loaded onto trucks with the rubble and carried out of the city,” she shared.
Can you even drink the water in Mariupol?
The city faces critical infrastructure challenges, particularly with water supply. The Siverskyi Donets–Donbas Canal, which previously supplied the city, was damaged during fighting.
Residents report intermittent water service, with supply flowing for one to two days before stopping for three-day periods. When available, the water appears yellow and requires boiling before consumption.
Some residents say the water looks like Coca-Cola.
Serhii Orlov, Mariupol’s deputy mayor in exile, ran the numbers. “Only one reservoir was left supplying water to Mariupol. For the current population, that would’ve lasted about a year and a half. Since occupation has lasted longer than that, it means there is no drinking water at all.”
Power outages also occur frequently, while residents report high food prices and limited access to essential medications. Diabetics struggle to obtain insulin, which has become prohibitively expensive when available.
The BBC contacted Mariupol’s Russian administration about these shortages. No response.
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What are Russian occupiers teaching the children?
Beyond physical hardships, residents express particular concern about education policies imposed by Russian authorities. School curricula now teach that multiple Ukrainian regions, including Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, and others, belong to Russia. Only Crimea is occupied fully, while other regions are occupied partially or not at all.
Special lessons called “Conversations about Important Things” present Russia’s 2022 invasion as “liberating” Russian-speaking populations from Nazis.
“Teachers who refuse to take these lessons are intimidated or fired. It’s like they are reprogramming the minds of our children,” another resident explained.
Resistance in Russian occupation
Despite risks, some Ukrainians maintain resistance activities within the occupied territory. These groups collect intelligence on Russian military movements and equipment, transmitting information to Ukrainian forces through secure channels. Resistance members also conduct small-scale sabotage operations, including attacks on railway infrastructure.
The work carries significant personal risk. One former resistance member fled after noticing a Russian soldier showing his photograph to local merchants. Daily life requires constant vigilance, with residents regularly deleting phone messages and avoiding calls to Ukraine due to surveillance concerns.
“Every day you delete your messages because your phone can be checked at checkpoints,” James says. “You’re afraid to call your friends in Ukraine in case your phone is being tapped.”
His neighbor was arrested right off the street after someone reported he was allegedly passing information to the Ukrainian military. “Your life is like a movie—constant tension, fear, distrust.”
“We want liberation” from Russian occupation
As diplomatic discussions continue about potential territorial concessions that Russia insists on, resistance members have a clear message.
“Giving away territory for a ‘deal with Russia’ will be a betrayal,” John says. “Dozens risk their lives every day to pass information to Ukraine, not so that some diplomat in a suit will sign a paper that will ‘hand us over.'”
His final words: “We don’t want ‘peace at any cost.’ We want liberation.”
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We keep our reporting open and accessible to everyone because we believe in the power of free information. This is why our small, cost-effective team depends on the support of readers like you to bring deliver timely news, quality analysis, and on-the-ground reports about Russia's war against Ukraine and Ukraine's struggle to build a democratic society.
Become a patron or see other ways to support.
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