‘Explosions every half minute’: Israeli describes fleeing besieged city of Mariupol

An Israeli man tells of his escape from the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been under relentless Russian bombardment.

“The Russian army continues to bomb the city, but the Ukrainian army does not let it enter,” the man named only as Romaz tells Radio 103FM. “You hear explosions every half minute.”

“The Russians are also firing artillery — from planes as well as firing cannons from warships,” he says.

He says that some families managed to escape the city by foot, reaching the town of Manhush, some 20 kilometers away (approximately 12 miles).

“As soon as you leave the city, right on the border, the Russian army is already there. Right on the city line, and they let the refugees pass,” says Romaz, according to a transcript published by the Walla news site.

He says he has heard of people being taken against their will to Russia, but says he believes that is occurring on the city’s eastern flank.

“Yesterday we crossed the border into Poland — we came to a pretty big area, where there are a lot of refugees. We ate and caught up on information,” he says, saying that he hopes to travel back to Israel.