Of . – 03/28/2022 20:57 (act 03/28/2022 21:17)
Kiev reports at least 5,000 dead in Mariupol. ©REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko
According to the Ukrainian government, Russian attacks killed more than 5,000 people in the port city of Mariupol, which has been under siege for weeks.
The number could be significantly higher, at “about 10,000”, a government official told the AFP news agency on Monday. Because of Russian attacks near Kiev, tens of thousands of homes in the capital were left without electricity.
Kiev reports at least 5,000 dead in Mariupol
In Mariupol, “5,000 victims were buried,” said Tetiana Lomakina, the Ukrainian official responsible for the refugee corridors. However, no burial was carried out for around ten days due to continued bombardment by Russian troops – while the death toll could be significantly higher.
“Streets in Mariupol full of dead bodies”
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the streets of Mariupol are littered with bodies that cannot be buried. The situation in the city was similarly described by MP Kateryna Sukhomlynova, who recently fled Mariupol. No one can take care of the many dead, because what little help is available is needed for those who are still alive, she told AFP.
Mariupol has been cut off from all supplies for weeks and at the same time is being heavily bombed by Russian troops. After Moscow announced that it would focus on “liberating the Donbass” in the future, Kiev feared that the situation at the most important port in this industrial region of eastern Ukraine would deteriorate further.
Evacuation from Mariupol suspended again
The evacuation of Mariupol and other cities in Ukraine was temporarily suspended on Monday. Deputy Prime Minister Iryna Wereshchuk said “no humanitarian corridors will open today” due to secret service warnings about Russian “provocations” along the defined escape routes.
Relatively few people escaped from Mariupol via escape corridors created in the past. Russia accused Ukraine of lack of cooperation. The Ukrainian side, on the other hand, denounced Russian fire on the escape routes.
Despite Russia’s announcement that it would focus on eastern Ukraine, there were also attacks near Kiev. Two high-voltage lines were damaged and around 82,000 residents of the capital were left without electricity. Russian troops tried to block transport routes, Deputy Defense Minister Ganna Maljar said. “Kiev’s defense continues.”
According to Selenskyj, 20,000 people would have been killed in the war.
According to Zelenskyy, “about” 20,000 people have already been killed in the Ukraine war. He didn’t give further details. According to the UN, nearly 3.9 million people have fled Ukraine. Another 6.5 million people are fleeing within the country.