ABSTRACT
This day is by locals referred to as a “bloody Friday” that marks one of the greatest tragedies of contemporary Mariupol. On this day, Mariupoltsy went to the streets to celebrate the “Victory Day” and to commemorate the fallen soldiers of the Red Army during the so-called “Great Patriotic War” (GPW). As any other year, it was organized by the local branch of the Communists. The event started at 10 o’clock with a march of approximately four thousand people following a previously agreed route from the Freedom Square to the memorial of the Soviet liberators not too far away. Normally, people would lay flowers by the memorial and gradually disperse to their homes. Instead, shooting was reported by the police station, and a rumor reached the commemorators that members of the Pravyi Sektor had arrived in the city in order to disrupt the event.
