San Francisco Frontiers - Shattered evacuees emerge from Ukraine's Mariupol

The small convoy Thursday was all those who managed to get out of the shattered port city of Mariupol that has been devastated by Russia's onslaught.

The passengers, mostly women, recounted their escape and the hell they had left behind after almost two months trapped under siege by Moscow's forces.

"This evacuation was a show," said a 19-year-old who asked to use the pseudonym Anastasia.

She told AFP that Russian camera crews had massed to film their departure as part of Moscow's state-backed propaganda campaign.

"We were given some care, but it was just for the media," she said.

Rumours of a potential escape route out of Mariupol had spread Wednesday after Ukrainian authorities for days unsuccessfully negotiated a safe passage with the Russian forces.

"Many people living in the Russian-occupied territories want to leave, but they are prevented from doing so," said Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Vereshchuk, who was present to meet the arrival in Zaporizhzhia.

In the end, only three buses were allowed through out of dozens that Ukraine had hoped to get out of the city.

- 'Many snipers' -

"Nothing has worked. Only 79 people could come. There were no green corridors," Vereshchuk said.

After almost two months sheltering in cellars under near-constant bombardments the group that made it to Zaporizhzhia were the few who dared to come forward.

Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky estimates that some 120,000 people remain trapped in Mariupol.

Anastasia said civilians were told to gather at 2pm local time on Wednesday.

"People didn't know if the rumour was true or not," she explained.

As she headed to the meeting point, she heard a Russian tank blasting away and saw "many snipers" posted on rooftops along her route.

"We were asked in front of the Russian journalists who wanted to go to Russia," another of the evacuees, an old lady wearing a beige cap, said.

"No one raised their hand," she said, adding of the Russians "I wish they'd all die."

Anastasia said that despite this a fourth bus that had collected people left in the direction of Russia. She did not know how many were on board.

- 'Didn't know if we would make it' -

The 225-kilometre (140 mile) journey to Zaporizhzhia -- which used to take three hours in peacetime -- took more than 24 hours.

Fear swirled on board as the buses made the perilous ride.

"We knew the way, but we didn't recognise any place. We didn't know if we would make it," Anastasia said.

"At one point we thought they were taking us to Russia."

When they finally did reach their destination, some who burst into tears of relief.

Valentina Grinchuk, a small woman of 73 who was still wearing her slippers along with a ragged black coat, hugged and kissed everyone she saw.

"From day one we were in a basement. It was cold. We were praying to God. I was asking him to protect us," she told AFP.

Babushka Vale, as she called herself, said her flat and her son's house had been destroyed.

"Take care of your hands," she told a journalist as she gripped their hand and showed off her own, black with dirt.

"They weren't like this before," she said.

- 'Angel' -

Other arrivals gave accounts of horror and survival.

Natalia Koval, 46, said she was trapped sheltering with a family who had a young boy -- a "blond, curly angel" -- who learnt to say his first words, hello and goodbye.

She felt "so sorry" when he woke up at night terrified as the shells rained down.

"I don't want to hear any more bombing," said Tatiana Dorash, 34, who was with her six-year-old son Maxim.

Anastasia herself is pregnant after having lost a child last year.

She has not seen her husband, a soldier, since March 14 and has not been able to contact him.

She recounted almost nothing about her past few weeks of horror when the population were at the mercy of the Russian forces.

"I just hope he is alive," she said, staring emptily ahead.

K.Hernandez--SFF