03/25/2022 12:10 (act. 03/25/2022 14:50)
Dramatic Theater in Mariupol after the Russian bombing. © Azov Battalion by AP
According to Ukrainian authorities, around 300 people were killed last week in the Russian attack on the theater in Mariupol.
About 300 people may have been killed in the Russian attack on the Mariupol theater in south-eastern Ukraine. The administration of the city of Mariupol expressed this assumption on Friday and referred to the eyewitness accounts as justification. Specific information on the number of victims of the air raid on the Mariupol theater on Wednesday last week has not been released yet.
The war in Ukraine: an attack on the Mariupol theater kills around 300
According to Ukrainian sources, about 1,000 people fled to a theater in the city center fearing Russian air strikes. “You want to believe that everyone is safe to the end,” Mariupol’s administration told Telegram on Friday. “However, the testimony of those who were in the building at the time of this terrorist act says the opposite.” According to this, as a result of the Russian attack in the theater, about 300 people were killed.
Destroyed Dramatic Theater in Mariupol
Zelenskiy said that more than 130 people were saved from the theater
The adviser to the mayor of Mariupol declined to comment at the request of the AFP news agency. “There will probably be more information by tonight,” said the consultant. A week ago, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said that more than 130 people had been rescued from the destroyed theater, but that “hundreds” remained buried under the rubble.
Hundreds of people sought refuge in the basement of the theater
According to information from aid organizations, hundreds of people took refuge in the basement of the building. The attack sparked international outrage. According to Ukrainian sources, Russia bombed the theater even though the word “Children” in Russian was clearly painted on the floor in front of both sides of the building. The information cannot be independently verified.
Ukraine accuses Russia of shooting at civilian targets
Since the beginning of the aggressive war, Ukraine and Western countries have accused the Russian armed forces of attacking civilian targets or at least accepting civilian casualties. Reports of destroyed hospitals repeatedly caused outrage. Moscow denies the allegations and accuses the Ukrainian armed forces of using civilians as human shields.