"Children in Mariupol drank water from puddles to survive": their mother told about survival under Russian bombing. PHOTOS

Hearing that her friend's children were drinking rainwater from puddles, Natalia Roberts decided to shelter them at her home in Wales.

Julia and her three daughters (11, 6, and 3 years old) were trapped in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol, the BBC reports, informs Censor.NET.

After their house was destroyed by Russian bombs, Julia and her children had to hide in a basement without a toilet, shower, or electricity.

"We had a small plate [of soup] for three children every day," says Julia. "And one glass of water."

"The children were constantly asked to eat, so she tried to feed them at bedtime so they wouldn't fall asleep hungry," said Natalia, who is watching what is happening in Ukraine from her home in north Wales.

The video on my mother's phone was a little comforting for the children in the basement

"When it rained, they ran out and drank from the puddle, and the water was incredibly delicious. Then they found a few pots to stock up."

But there was a critical shortage of freshwater, and Julia had to leave the children and go looking for a source or well.

A few months ago, Julia and her family enjoyed life

"The nearest well was three kilometers away. We had to run there under fire," Yulia recalls.

And when the middle daughter fell ill, there was nothing to treat her.

"I had money, but I couldn't buy anything because there was nothing anywhere, everything was broken, looted, and destroyed," she said.

Since the beginning of March, the port city of Mariupol has been surrounded by Russian troops

Julia had to hide in the basement after their apartment in Mariupol was destroyed by Russian bombs

Natalia, who got married five years ago and moved from Ukraine to Wales, was close friends from school and always kept in touch - until the war in Ukraine.

For several days, and sometimes weeks, Julia did not get in touch. From time to time, she dumped videos of Natalia from a bomb shelter where she and her daughters hid while her husband fought on the front lines.