“The next day, all together with the volunteers, we started boarding the plywood windows. It would not protect us from an explosion, but at least no one would be injured by shattered glass. “Volunteers made life a little easier. They had a field kitchen near the back entrance and cooked something every day. For breakfast, we drank hot boiling water. some people had tea bags, but most of us had nothing. For lunch, the volunteers cooked a kind of broth. For dinner, they distributed hot water again and, if possible, some cookies, especially to the children. No one would starve to death, they said. “The volunteers were just fantastic. There was a young girl who was helping everyone. Little Nastya was about 14 or 15 years old. “We got food from a nearby store. It is a shame to talk about it, but it is true. I understand that was wrong and I did not want to do it. But then, when I realized how many people could be saved, I realized that saving a life was much more important. “Two days before the bombing started, the volunteers counted the number of people in the theater – about 1,200, but I think there were more. In fact, they took all the pregnant women to the theater from the maternity hospital. It was bombed and all the pregnant women and mothers with newborns were brought here. “I do not know exactly how many there were. I saw three women with babies. However, they settled in the dressing rooms. We did not go to that side of the theater. is the right wing. But I know someone gave birth at night. “The volunteers placed the pregnant women in the dressing rooms, because they believed that they were better and warmer there. Unfortunately, it turned out to be completely different. “We became friends with a family that had a place in the underground shelter. However, they decided to leave Mariupol shortly before the bombing. Before they left, we were told to take their place in the basement. It was simply impossible to find a place there any other way. So, on the eve of the bombing, we managed to move from the third floor to the basement shelter. “On the morning of March 16, the Russians dropped a heavy bomb on the theater. It was about 9.45 a.m.