Olia spent her childhood summers in Mariupol: she raced through the busy food markets, shared dried fish with her grandparents, and picnicked on the beaches with visitors from all over the world, including Russians. Those lively seaside days shaped her sense of home and food culture.
Beginning in 2014, Mariupol endured repeated assaults. The pattern of attack and defense became a grim background to daily life. Olia’s grandmother, who worked at the Azovstal Steel Plant, grew accustomed to the alarms and disruptions. Still, nothing in the family prepared them for the full-scale siege that began on February 24, 2022.
For twenty days after the invasion, Olia—now living in Austin, Texas—lost contact with her grandmother and aunt. Trained as a historian, she tracked every fragment of information that emerged from Mariupol, piecing together reports and witness accounts. Her relatives sheltered for thirty days in a basement while shelling and shortages wore on. As her aunt’s health worsened, she reached a painful decision: she would rather attempt an escape than die slowly underground. Their escape, and what followed, is the story Olia recounts—her experience of Mariupol in those first hundred days of Russia’s war on Ukraine, her conviction that Russia cannot fully succeed, and her commitment to preserving recipes as acts of resistance and memory.
Highlights
- Why Mariupol was an immediate target for siege
- Olia’s aunt and grandmother hiding in a basement for 30 days
- How even cooking became dangerous during bombardment
- The moment her aunt decided to risk escape
- Their dramatic flight from the besieged city
- Explanation of the so-called filtration camps and what they mean for civilians
- How Olia has coped emotionally and practically
- Olia’s work to document evidence of Russian crimes
- How large portions of Ukraine are occupied or evacuated
- Reasons Olia maintains hope for Ukraine’s future
- Reflections on the lingering refusal to accept defeat
- Thoughts on the psychological and political state of Russia
- Support from Olia’s community in Austin
- The markets and food culture of Mariupol as a port city
- Olia’s mission to preserve recipes that are being erased
Listen to Olia Now
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Ukrainian Red Fish in Tomato Sauce
How To Contact Olia Koutseridi
Instagram: @ogi_the_yogi
Subscribe to Olia’s Substack for updates and writing. Purchase a Burnt Basque Cheesecake for Ukraine through her menu listing. Support Liberty Ukraine at libertyukraine.org.
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