Epicenter hypermarket in Zaporizhzhia is a strange if extraordinary, place.
Like any barn-like supermarket, you see people as they park and pack trolleys and food out of the hallways.
Alternatively, you have spent the past four weeks there. In that case, you will have seen thousands of people in overcrowded cars, pulling the parking garage into doors, climbing out the door, and staring at their surroundings with something that approaches disbelief.
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The supermarket has been transformed into a stage for 60,000 people fleeing from southeastern parts of the country.
The supermarket has been transformed into a stage for 60,000 people fleeing from southeastern parts of the country
It’s not an easy journey to the Epicenter. Most spend days trying to make it to Zaporizhzhia – their first stop in the Ukrainian-controlled part.
For the citizens of Mariupol, the supermarket has evolved into a beacon of light after weeks spent in the ruins of their city.
It is estimated that 100,000 or more are still trapped in ruins, and attempts by local government officials and international NGOs to organize evacuation convoys have largely failed.
A convoy of buses drove it to the Russian-controlled city of Berdyansk, returning more than 2,300 to Zaporizhzhia. Still, attempts by the International Committee of the Red Cross to obtain 54 cars in Mariupol disappeared.
Zaporizhzhia is its first stop in Ukrainian controlled area
Mainly, those who manage to escape have participated in their do-it-yourself evacuations.
Some have cars or know somebody with a vehicle; brave volunteers have driven others out.
We met a mother of two named Maria Tsimerman, who owns a slap-up fan and an extraordinary sense of duty.
She drove to Mariupol to pick up the sick and wounded while leading civilian convoys out of the city.
The supermarket has evolved into a beacon of light.
“Did you drive into Mariupol?” I asked as she rose out of her white van.
“Yes,” others said, in a matter-of-fact way.
“That’s very brave.”
“Yes, but it’s not the first time,” she said.
“Did you get permission from the Russian army to enter the city?” I asked.
It is calculated that there are still 100,000 or more stuck in Mariupol
Read more: The horrific account of Sky News team of their violent ambush in Ukraine
I asked Mary about the trip she had just completed.
“The entrance to Mariupol is scary because they’re carrying out a military whip. The Chechens are there, (Ramzan) Kadyrov’s boys; it’s creepy.
“I advised wounded people by shelling, and it was tough. (Russian soldiers) checked everything, and they took our phones and money, so it was uncomfortable.”
“Many thanks to Maria, we could not even get out of there, we do not know the road, there are no (traffic) signs, we drove under the shelter, around minefields, I just want to greet them.”
“She’s fearless and drives by herself in front of a column of male drivers.”
“Can you do that?” she asked.
Ukraine’s War: Supermarket Raised of Light for Those Making ‘Terrifying’ Escape from Mariupol
