Running News Daily

Running for security: the diary of a Ukrainian runner

Two months ago, Ruslan Paul was a significant figure in the Mariupol, Ukraine, running community–hosting free weekly timed 5K runs called ‘runday’ at Mariupol’s Prymorskyi Seaside Park.

In every run club photo Paul shared on his Strava page, his smile lit up the camera. One often forgets how quickly your life can change in the span of a few days, but for Paul, he was living in reality. 

On Feb. 24, 2022, Russia launched a large-scale invasion of Ukraine on its eastern border. Mariupol is located 60 kilometres from the Russian border and is a three-hour drive from the Russian city of Rostov-on-don.

Mariupol was home to 400,000 people before the war broke out on Feb. 24, and now, up to 90 per cent of the city has either been destroyed or damaged. 

According to his Strava, Paul went for his last run in Mariupol on Feb. 26. “There are such beautiful places in this city, one of which you involuntarily appeal to the creator of this world for the peace and protection of Ukraine,” he wrote. 

On his activity, he posted a picture of himself next to a cross looking out on the Sea of Azov, which separates Ukraine and Russia. 

“We don’t have a city anymore,” Paul expressed. “They have destroyed everything.” 

A week after the invasion, Paul and his family fled for western Ukraine. A man, and his family, who were born and raised in Mariupol, now watch in fear as the city crumbles from bombing by Russian forces. 

Instead of using Strava to post his running activities, Paul began using it as a tool to keep his followers updated on his well-being, replying to comments and sharing his whereabouts. 

“We are safe but hungry, homeless and unemployed,” Paul wrote. He and his family are constantly on the run in western Ukraine, trying to find a home to ensure each other’s safety.

Despite the despair, Paul continues to update his friends from around Ukraine on his Facebook and Strava page about his safety and his life on the run. “We’re alive and well, that’s the most important thing,” Paul writes.