There was no funeral. There were no public gatherings to honor those who died during Russia's relentless attacks on the port city of Mariupol, which has become a symbol of Ukraine's fierce resistance. Only mass graves told the story of the besieged city.

The world would have seen none of this if it weren't for Mstislav Chernov, Yevgeny Maloletka, and Vysylisa Stepanenko, a team from the Associated Press who were in the city when the invasion began. They remained in Mariupol even after it became one of the most dangerous places on Earth. For more than two weeks, they were the only international media outlet in the city and the only journalists who could transmit video and photos to the outside world.

Moscow hates their work. The Russian Embassy in London posted an AP image on Twitter with the word “Fake” in red. A senior Russian diplomat showed copies of photos from the maternity hospital at a UN Security Council meeting, insisting they were fake. But these photos and the people they met tell the story of what really happened in Mariupol.