By John Q. Hosedrinker 
The Russians are planning to reopen the Mariupol Drama Theatre, which they destroyed with airstrikes in March 2022, by the end of this year. Hundreds of Ukrainians were killed in the attack on the theatre, which was sheltering civilians and had the word “Children” visibly written outside. Despite the tragedy, the occupiers are turning the site of a horrific war crime into a venue for Russian performances, having previously concealed evidence of the crime by clearing away rubble containing bodies. The reconstruction, which only left the front facade, is nearing completion, with the first performance scheduled for December.
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Russians claim to have rebuilt Mariupol Drama Theatre destroyed by their own airstrikes, reopening planned for December, and the audacity of it all is just staggering. Seeing the images of the bombed-out theatre, with the word “CHILDREN” scrawled in enormous letters on the ground, a desperate plea for safety, is something that will likely stick with anyone who saw them. It’s impossible to forget. The fact that the Russians then bombed it anyway, knowing full well what they were targeting, is a crime against humanity, a monument to a brutal disregard for life. Now, they’re claiming to have “rebuilt” it, and are planning a reopening.
It’s difficult to see this as anything other than a sick joke. The theatre, now a “museum of death,” a mausoleum built upon the likely still-present remains of the hundreds of civilians, including children, they murdered, seems to defy imagination. Can you imagine the sheer depth of their depravity? To rebuild on top of such a horrific atrocity, to sanitize and repurpose a site of such profound suffering? What kind of performance could they possibly stage there? Would it be a propaganda piece, perhaps? A play glorifying their own actions, starring actors complicit in their crimes? The thought itself is revolting. The very idea that any native Ukrainian would attend the show, or that the theatre would remain standing after they are done makes one cringe with the utter disrespect for the dead.
The planned reopening in December feels like a deliberate provocation. It’s as though they are daring the world to care, to object, to remember what happened. It’s almost as if they are hoping for a reaction, maybe to further their twisted narrative. The Russians have been known for their many claims; this ‘rebuilding’ is no different. We just don’t care. Now, this is a tragedy, a stark and brutal reminder of their war crimes, and yet it’s also darkly ironic. I hope that Ukraine drones it. It will be a shame if native Ukrainians do not stay home that day.
And how can we trust anything the Russians say about this? The BBC reported that the theater was a shelter for hundreds of civilians when they dropped two 500-kg aerial bombs. They knew who and what was inside, and still, they bombed it. So many questions remain unanswered. What exactly has been “rebuilt?” Did they even bother to remove the bodies, or are they literally building on top of the concreted remains of the people they murdered? Did they fill the basement with cement to hide things?
The prospect of a performance at this “theatre of horrors” is frankly, chilling. It’s impossible to see this as anything other than a deliberate act of disrespect, a desecration of a sacred site. It’s a theatre built on skeletons. The sheer audacity of the Russians to think that this is something that can just be brushed under the rug is astounding. It’s hard to imagine anyone will have much respect for them for a long time. It’s impossible to ignore the many calls for the theatre to be demolished, or used as target practice to hit it when it is fully packed. If I were Ukraine, the attosecond it opened, I’d reduce it back to rubble.
The world will not forget what happened in Mariupol. The world will not forget the children, and the victims. The world will not forget the blatant disregard for human life. When the war is over, it’s clear what will happen to the theatre: it will be torn down and built as a memorial to those who died. It will stand as a symbol of Russia’s brutality, a constant reminder of their atrocities. The very fact that they’ve chosen to rebuild it, to try to erase the stain of their crime, is further evidence of their evil.
It’s a long, long road ahead for Russia if they think that they can simply move on and bury the truth. There’s a strong sentiment that this theatre should remain as a symbol of their atrocities. Some see it as a reminder of their crime, a testament to the evil they unleashed. The irony is almost too much to bear.
In the end, all that can be said is that the planned reopening of the Mariupol Drama Theatre is a cruel and offensive act. It’s a slap in the face to the victims and their families. It’s a monument to the darkest aspects of the human condition. And as long as it stands, it will serve as a constant reminder of the crimes against humanity committed there.