'My picture was used to spread lies about the Ukraine war'
A photo of a heavily pregnant woman fleeing a bombed maternity hospital became one of the most iconic images of the war in Ukraine. But its subject was targeted by an extraordinary Russian disinformation campaign and she received hate from both sides.
But, having survived one attack, Marianna faced another onslaught - of disinformation and hate aimed at her and her family. This is her first interview with a major western media outlet after being evacuated to her hometown in a part of Donbas controlled by Russian-backed separatists. "She chose to show up at a difficult time," she explains, "but it's better she arrived under these circumstances than not at all."Life in Mariupol was very different before the war. Marianna promoted beauty products on social media, while her husband Yuri worked at the Azovstal steel works.Her Instagram account shows her excitement at the prospect of becoming a mother.
The women sheltered in the basement with other civilians. Marianna suffered a forehead cut and glass fragments lodged in her skin, but a doctor told her she didn't need stitches.
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