The photo of a pregnant woman escaping from a bombed maternity hospital has become one of the symbols of the bloody war in Ukraine. The heroine of this photo, Marianna Vyshemirsky, immediately found herself at the center of a fierce disinformation campaign, as a result of which she was flooded with hatred from Internet users. In an interview with the BBC, the Russian service debunked the false claims of Russian officials. It is her first interview with popular Western media since being evacuated to her hometown of Donetsk, a territory controlled by pro-Russian separatists. Denis Seleznyov, a blogger who actively supported pro-Russian separatists and was interviewed after fleeing Mariupol, helped organize the conversation with the woman. Did the explosion happen near the maternity hospital, which did not work? The Kremlin has repeatedly stated that the blast took place near the maternity hospital №1, which did not actually work with patients at that time. According to the BBC's disinformation department, Marianne was in the maternity hospital №3. Marianne confirms that the hospital where the maternity hospital was located was operating and had patients. The Russian authorities claimed that it no longer functioned as a medical facility.
Did the Azov Regiment seize the maternity hospital? Russia has claimed that the Azov Regiment seized the building, which Moscow calls a "Nazi" organization, which Ukraine denies. From Marianne's interview with Denis Seleznyov, Russian officials chose isolated phrases to create a narrative that Ukrainian soldiers allegedly used Marianne and other pregnant women as a human shields. Marianne tells the BBC that there were no soldiers in the building where she was. According to her story, she saw Ukrainian soldiers in the oncology department, located across the building from the maternity ward. Still, she did not know whether they had a base there. However, Marianne's phrases from an interview with Denis Seleznyov were used by the Kremlin to come up with a new lie.
Russian officials used her words, saying that she does not think an airstrike caused the hospital bombings. It was a Ukrainian shelling, they said.
"The characteristic sound of an airplane when it flies, it is impossible not to hear it," Marianne said in an interview, adding that she had not heard such a sound.
But journalists from the Associated Press documented evidence that the plane crash was - including in the video, where the sound of the plane can be heard. In addition, the military and police are talking about the airstrike on video at the scene. In addition, the photos show a giant funnel, which, according to weapons experts, could remain only after the bomb.
"I haven't seen this funnel, but I've seen the video," said Marianne.
"In fact, I can't blame anyone because I didn't see with my own eyes where it came from," she added.
This controversial moment caused another wave of bile from the trolls.
"On the one hand, I was considered an actress. On the other hand, they thought I was lying that there was no airstrike,” explained Marianna.
Did Marianne take part in the production? Before the war, Marianne advertised cosmetics on her blog. One pro-Kremlin telegram channel lied that the photos from the delivery room were staged. Based on the fact that Marianne was a beauty blogger, the authors said that she was an actress, which made up for the victim. This lie has been repeated many times by high-ranking Russian officials and Russian state media. "It was unpleasant to hear because I really went through it," said Marianne.
Among the people she considered friends were those who did not believe her. For example, beauty blogger Yaroslava, who lives in Russia, believes Russian television claims that Marianne took part in the production.
"I think Marianne played her part. Ukraine needed so that the Ukrainian military could blame Russia for everything," Yaroslava said. Since then, she has unfollowed her former friend on Instagram and no longer talked to her.
"It`s sad, of course, when acquaintances believe in something I haven't done, and I'm not capable of because, for me, my conscience has always been above everything," Marianne replied.