When an airstrike tore through the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theater in Mariupol on March 16, 2022, hundreds of people were in and around the building at the time, including civilians seeking shelter from Moscow’s deadly invasion.

There are conflicting reports on how many were killed in the blast, but legal experts say there is overwhelming evidence that the strike constituted a war crime. Investigations based on witness testimony point to a Russian strike on the theatre. Moscow denies destroying it, and instead blames Ukraine.

Now, nearly four years later, Russian-appointed officials say the theatre, now under their control, has been rebuilt, modernized and is nearly ready to host audiences of nearly 500.

“There were so many people in the theatre during the bombing and a lot of people were killed there,” said Ihor Kytrysh, an actor who had been performing at the Mariupol theatre since 2000, and is now living in western Ukraine.

“It’s like performing a play on the bones of the dead."