Light for Mariupol at Czech theaters

A symbolic light for Mariupol, a Ukrainian city and its inhabitants severely affected by the war, was lit on Tuesday evening in the piazzetta at the National Theatre in Prague and in other theatres throughout the country.

Candles as hope for the bombed city and the sign "Children", which according to many pictures and videos was also placed near the theater in Mariupol in an attempt to prevent the dropping of bombs. 

The city, located on the Sea of ​​Azov, about fifty kilometers from the Russian border, had a population of 430,000 before the war. The city is of strategic importance, its capture would allow the Russians to establish a land link with annexed Crimea, but Ukrainian forces refuse to capitulate.

Mariupol has been largely destroyed by about three weeks of Russian shelling, with only a few thousand residents able to leave. The city is short of water, food and medicine, and power and heat supplies have been cut off. Last week, the Mariupol theater was targeted by an attack, where, according to local authorities, over 1,000 people were sheltering.

The fate of most of them is unknown, 130 people were rescued, according to Ukrainian officials, Russian shelling is preventing rescuers from accessing the shelter.