Bombed-out drama theatre in Russian-controlled Mariupol reopens to public

The Mariupol Drama Theatre, destroyed in a 2022 Russian air strike that killed hundreds, has officially reopened after restoration with support from St. Petersburg authorities. The reopening comes nearly four years after the city endured a devastating siege.

Reuters

29 December 2025 at 10:28:38

A Christmas tree stands in a square near the theatre, which was destroyed in the course of the Russia-Ukraine military conflict and later restored, in Mariupol, a Russian-controlled city of Ukraine, December 28, 2025. REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko

Alexander Ermochenko

The restored Mariupol Drama Theatre, which was reduced to a roofless, rubble-filled shell almost four years ago, on Sunday (December 28) officially reopened to the public.

Denis Pushilin, Moscow-installed leader of the Russian-controlled parts of the Donetsk region, as well as the governor of St. Petersburg Alexander Beglov were among the guests.

Authorities said St.Petersburg, a sister city of Mariupol, played a major part in restoring the destroyed theatre.

The bombing of the theatre, where hundreds of civilians were killed in a Russian air strike on March 16, 2022, was part of a protracted Russian siege of the southern port city, which held out for more than two months but was also taken with many infrastructure in ruins.

Civilians had taken refuge in the theatre and the Russian word for "Children" had been painted on the ground in large white letters, visible from the air.

Russia denies targeting civilians. At that time, its defence ministry accused the Azov Battalion, a militia which is part of Ukraine's armed forces, of blowing up the theatre.

Ukrainian officials said at least 300 people were killed in the bombing, though some estimates said the toll was higher.

They say the clearing of the site was part of an attempt by Russia to remove the evidence.

-Reuters