Mariupol's Drama Theatre — damaged in a March 2022 strike that killed hundreds sheltering inside — is due to reopen under Russian administration. Exiled Ukrainian officials denounced the move as "dancing on the bones" of victims, while the theatre’s new site omits reference to the attack and promotes Russian and Soviet classics. Investigations estimate up to 600 deaths; Ukraine alleges efforts were made to conceal remains. Occupying authorities say the venue will officially reopen in December amid broader plans to rebuild Mariupol as a tourist destination.
Mariupol Drama Theatre — Site of 2022 Bombing — Set to Reopen Amid Accusations of 'Dancing on the Bones'
Mariupol's Drama Theatre — damaged in a March 2022 strike that killed hundreds sheltering inside — is due to reopen under Russian administration. Exiled Ukrainian officials denounced the move as "dancing on the bones" of victims, while the theatre’s new site omits reference to the attack and promotes Russian and Soviet classics. Investigations estimate up to 600 deaths; Ukraine alleges efforts were made to conceal remains. Occupying authorities say the venue will officially reopen in December amid broader plans to rebuild Mariupol as a tourist destination.
17:48, 04.11.2025Conflict
Mariupol theatre set to reopen despite deadly 2022 bombing
Russian authorities plan to reopen the Mariupol Drama Theatre — the site of a March 2022 strike that killed hundreds of civilians sheltering inside — prompting sharp condemnation from exiled Ukrainian officials.
On 16 March 2022, the theatre was struck by two 500kg bombs. Civilians had painted the word "children" on the building and more than a thousand people had taken refuge inside. An independent investigation estimated that as many as 600 people may have been killed, although an exact toll may never be established after the ruins were demolished soon after occupation.
According to the theatre’s new official website: “The events of 2022 were a difficult test for the city and theatre.” It adds that Russian and Soviet classics — works by Pushkin, Chekhov, Bulgakov, Vampilov and Tvardovsky — have returned to the stage.
Exiled Ukrainian officials accused Moscow on Telegram of "singing and dancing on the bones of the murdered people of Mariupol" as the venue prepares a programme of "Russian and Soviet classics". Occupying authorities have told the Russian state news agency Tass that the official reopening is scheduled for December, with the first performances planned for the New Year period.
Footage from the immediate aftermath of the strike showed large sections of the Soviet-era building reduced to rubble and a smoking crater. In recent days, photographs released by Russian-installed authorities show the restored facilities in pristine condition. Kyiv has alleged that contractors hired by Russia sprayed the theatre with chlorine to mask the smell of decomposing bodies and poured concrete over human remains to conceal them — allegations denied by Russian authorities.
Russia’s state-funded reconstruction of Mariupol has reportedly cost hundreds of billions of rubles. Ukrainian officials have accused the Kremlin of "building on a city of death," saying thousands of victims were buried in mass graves. Oleg Morgun, the Russia-installed mayor of Mariupol, has promoted ambitious plans to turn the city into a tourist destination, including proposals for resorts on the Sea of Azov and "military-patriotic" tourism projects.
This planned reopening raises difficult questions about memory, accountability and the treatment of sites linked to mass civilian casualties. International investigators and human rights groups continue to document alleged abuses in Mariupol while calls for independent enquiries persist.