Anna Zaitseva survived the brutal siege of the Azovstal steel plant in the early days of Russia's invasion of Ukraine, caring for a baby in a darkened underground bunker. Her husband was captured by Russian troops.

Mariupol'

Russian forces have invaded Ukraine from land, air and sea with strikes causing widespread damage. Global leaders have condemned the move and imposed sanctions.

Ukraine Invasion

Survivor of Azovstal waits to reunite with family

Russia's war on Ukraine. Our next Focus as we hear this morning from one of the subject of a new documentary on the war. It's called freedom on fire. Ukraine's fight for freedom and its cream last week at the International Security Forum in Halifax. A little taste there and one of the women who's featured in the dog. Survived more than two months trapped in a steel plant with her infant son. Her name is awna this Eva and her husband was last seen defending that plant, we reported on it. So often over that 2 months. Marie Brewster is our senior defense reporter. Not only has he seen the documentary? He has met that woman that Central character tell us about Anna and meeting her and talking to her Marie, good morning, good morning, Heather. And yes, it is an incredible Story of Survival. So imagine for a moment, a 26 year old French language teacher going about her daily life with her husband, who's a steelworker and then the Russian invasion happens, her husband joins the local National Guard unit. She goes and shelters within the underground confines of the steel plant. And that's when the Russians began to encircle her hometown mariupol and pound it relentlessly. We've all seen the images and her husband was a defender of the mariupol plant and she only had an opportunity to see him twice during the 65 days that she was underground the last time they saw each. Other was the day that Mary Whipple was actually encircled and will let her pick up the story. I saw him land March. It was only 45 minutes and Marie. Paul was about to beat Nest to cool to be occupied. And he knew it already. I asked him if I would have a possibility, should see him again? And he was just keep inside and he looked me directly, he said to me that he loves me and he was gone. Now, that was the last time that they've seen each other on that managed to get out of Mario, pull through a humanitarian Corridor. But she was sent to a Russian filtration camp where she was interrogated by FSB, which is the Russian security service. And she was also strip-searched during that time, and her husband was captured when the assets. All steel plant. Fell on May 17th and she's not heard from him since. And how has all of this that changed her Murray? You can't go through something like that without being marked or scarred and I really do think that she is still processing the experience that she's been through, but I think it's best for. We hear it in her words. I can say that half me is that already and it was killed in an assault to a plant. I had a concussion because one of the rocket was directly phone on our shelter. I'm doing 65 days. I had this thought that I could be that my son could put that and definitely I'm a new person. Now, maybe I'm trying to Let's definitely right now, I have this power in me to fight to fight for that. People were right now, voiceless, we're right now in captivity to fight right now, for the children who were taken by force to Russia, And I think this is not experience that I want somebody to to have, but this is maybe somehow experience that I I have to come. This is like a purpose of my life right now. Now, she is also living as a refugee in Berlin and has been interviewed many times by the international media to, to tell her story. Her husband is in captivity in Russia. He was a soldier before the before joining the local National Guard unit. And before becoming steelworker in at the, at the store plant, he joined the as off regiment, which has been accused of being far, right? And so, therefore, he is going to be remaining in custody because he's not been part of any prisoner swaps between Ukraine and Russia thus far. I thank you for all of that, our senior defense reporter Mary Brewster again the documentary out which figures prominently in and Marie's written. Some more about her story which is online this morning, CBC News.

SEE THE FULL STORY

Ukraine Invasion