Students’ Survival Experience in the Information Blockade on the Example of the 2022 Siege of the Ukrainian City Mariupol

The study analyzes the survival experiences of students during the information blockade imposed during the siege of Mariupol, Ukraine, in 2022. Using the case study method, posts, photos, and videos from open sources were examined to fill in gaps regarding students who remained under siege. Additionally, semi-structured anonymous interviews were conducted with students who shared their experiences of survival, including three who provided comments on their time under occupation and their departure from the city. They described the conditions they faced during shelling, the information blockade, and exposure to Russian information aggression and propaganda. Without electricity or mobile communication, students accessed news via medium and long radio waves, conserved phone battery power, and sought mobile internet from higher floors of high-rise buildings to download website headlines or Telegram messages.