Ukrainian authorities have struggled to determine the fate of hundreds of civilians who had taken shelter in a theater targeted by a Russian airstrike in the besieged city of Mariupol, as Russian artillery officials said on Thursday destroyed more civil buildings in another front line city.
A photo published by Mariupol’s city the board showed an entire section of the grandthree-story The theater had collapsed after the strike on Wednesday evening. Several hundred people had taken refuge in the buildinglooking for safety amid Russia’s strangling three-week siege of the strategic port of the Sea of Azov city.
A Mayor of Mariupol office official noted on Thursday that city officials have yet to report any casualties after what they say was a Russian attack of a theater in the beleaguered ukrainian city.
No later than Monday, the sidewalk in of face of and behind the once elegant theater has been marked with huge white letters spelling out “CHILDREN” in Russian, according to images broadcast by Maxar space technology business.
Rubble had buried the entrance to the shelter inside the theater, and on didn’t know yet how numerous people were killed or injured, Pavlo Kyrylenko, head of the Donetsk regional administration, said on Telegram.
Russian airstrikes also hit a municipal swimming pool pool complex in Mariupol where civilians, including women and children, had been hosted, Kyrylenko said. “Now there are speakers women and women with children under the rubble there,” he wrote, thinking the number of losses were not immediately known.
“My heart is breaking cause of what Russia is doing to our peoplesaid Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Wednesday evening after the theater strike. A few hours earlier, he gave a speech via video in the United States Congress which received several ovations as he called for more help.
The Russian Defense Ministry has denied bombing the theater or anywhere else in Mariupol on Wednesday.
Thursday, Russian artillery destroyed a school and a community center in Merefa, a city near northeast city of Kharkiv, according to the mayor of Merefa, Veniamin Sitov. There were no known civilian casualties. Kharkov region experienced heavy shelling as pinned down Russian forces attempt to advance in the area.
The losses are piling up in northern ukrainian city of Chernihiv, with 53 people killed by Russian forces on On Wednesday alone, the regional governor said on Thusday.
“We are suffering heavy losses – 53 citizens were killed yesterday,” Governor Viacheslav Chaus said.
the information could not be verified immediately. Russia denies targeting civilians.
Six nations have called for a meeting of the UN Security Council on Ukraine on Thursday afternoon, ahead of an expected vote Friday on a Russian resolution demanding protection for Ukrainian civilians”in situations of vulnerability”, without however mentioning of Moscow’s responsibility for the war.
“Russia is committing war crimes and targeting civilians,” tweeted the mission United Nations, announcing the call for the meeting that was joined by the United States, France and others. “Russia’s Illegal War on Ukraine is a menace for us all.”
Russian attacks hit towns and villages in large parts of Ukraine, including the capital, Kyiv, where residents have crowded in homes and shelters.
A fire broke out in a Kyiv apartment building early Thursday after he was hit by the remains of a downed Russian rocket, killing one person and injuring at least three others, according to the emergency services. Firefighters evacuated 30 people from upper floors of on 16-story building and extinguished the fire in less than an hour.
Russian President Vladimir Putin visited on television on Wednesday excoriating the Russians who do not do back him, although both sides have expressed optimism over efforts to negotiate an end to the fighting.
The Russians “will always be able to distinguish true patriots of scum and traitors and will simply spit them out like a midge that accidentally flew into their mouths,” he said. “I am convinced that such auto- natural and necessary purification of society will only strengthen our country.
He said the West is using a “fifth column” of Russian traitors to create civil unrest.
“And there is only one goalI have already talked about it – the destruction of Russia,” he said.
The speech seemed to be a warning than son authoritarian rule who had already has tightened since invasion has begun on February 24, closing down Russian news points sale and the arrest of demonstrators, could even increase more repressive.
In one sign of that, Russian law enforcement announced the first known criminal case under a new law which allows for 15-year prison terms for display what is deemed to be”false informationabout the Ukrainian war. Among the defendants was Veronika Belotserkovskaya, a Russian-language cookbook author and blogger living abroad. But he also came amid signs the talks were finally making progress.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said after Tuesday’s meeting that a neutral country military status for Ukraine was “seriously discussed” by both sides, while Zelenskyy said Russia’s demands for to end the war became “more realistic.”
Wednesday’s talks, held by video, appeared to be floundering more deep into the technical details.
Zelenskyy’s adviser Mikhailo Podolyak said Ukraine demanded a ceasefire withdrawal of Russian troops and security guarantees for Ukraine of many countries.
“This is possible only direct dialoguebetween Zelenskyy and Putin, he tweeted.
A official in by Zelensky office told the Associated Press (AP) that the main the topic under discussion was whether the Russian troops were going remain in breakaway regions in eastern Ukraine after the war and where the borders would be.
the official speaking on state of anonymity to discuss the sensitive talks, said Ukraine insisted on inclusion of one Where more Western nuclear powers in negotiations and on a legally binding document with security guarantees for Ukraine. In exchange, the official said, Ukraine was ready to discuss a neutral status.
Russia demanded that NATO pledge never to admit Ukraine into the alliance or station forces there.
Earlier on Wednesday, Zelenskyy appeared before the US Congress via video and, citing Pearl Harbor and 9/11, pleaded with America for more weapons and tougher punishments against Russia, saying: “We need you right now.
US President Joe Biden announced the United States sent 800 millions additional dollars in military aid to Ukraine. He also called Putin a “war criminal”, in his harshest sentence since invasion has begun.
Although Moscow’s ground advance on the Ukrainian capital appeared largely at a standstill, Putin earlier said the operation was taking place “successfully, in strict compliance with pre-approved plans.” He also decried Western sanctions against Moscow, accusing the West of try to “tighten usput the pressure on usturn us in a weak and dependent country.
Meanwhile, Zelenskyy accused Germany of putting son economy in front of the security son country in the run-up to Russian invasion. In an address to Germany parliament On Thursday, Zelenskyy criticized the German government’s support for the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline project intended to bring natural gas from Russia. Ukraine and others opposed the project, warning that he was putting danger Ukrainian and European security.
Zelensky also noted Germany’s reluctance when it came to imposing of the toughest penalties on Russia for afraid it might hurt the German economy.
The President of Ukraine called on Germany not to leave a new wall divide Europe, urging support for that of son country membership of NATO and the European Union. He also called for more help for son country, saying thousands of people Was killed in the war that began nearly a month ago, including 108 children.
Referring to the dire situation in the besieged city of Mariupol, he said: “Everything is a target for them”, including “a theater where hundreds of people found shelter that was demolished yesterday.
The battles led more more than 3 millions people flee Ukraine, says the UN.
Nowhere suffered more that surrounded them city of Mariupol, where local officials say missile strikes and shelling have killed more more than 2,300 people. The southern seaport of 430,000 have been under attack for almost all of the three week war in a seat that has left people struggling for food, water, heat and medicine.
Using the flashlight on son cellphone to light up a hospital basement, Dr. Valeriy Drengar fired back a blanket to show the body of a 22 day old baby. Other Wrapped Bodies also seemed to be children.
“Here are the people we couldn’t save,” Drengar said.
