As rescue efforts to save Mariupol are hindered by Russian bombardment, more than 1,300 people are currently trapped in bombed theatre ruins.
Yesterday’s helpless victims were forced to stay a third night in basement of destroyed Drama Theatre, which was attacked by Vladimir Putin’s troops on Wednesday.
The prospects for survival look bleaker by the minute, as no supplies are available and Russian troops fire at rescuers trying the dig in the rubble.
Yesterday night, a local MP claimed that those who were inside the building had to go digging in order to rescue their loved ones from ongoing airstrikes.
However, Volodymyr Zelensky (the Ukrainian president) vowed last night to keep the rescue operation going.
“Hundreds of Mariupol residents remain under the debris.” He stated that, “despite the shelling and all the difficulties,” he continued the rescue effort.
Russian troops now have reached the centre of the city. Civilians are still hiding in bunkers, while the fighters fight on the streets.
Vadym Boichenko, Mariupol mayor said that ‘tanks and machine guns battles continue. It is now without a city center. It is impossible to find a single piece of land that hasn’t been ravaged by war.
A poignant protest was held in Lviv over the tragic losses to Ukraine. 109 empty prams were laid in solemn rows to commemorate Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
Over 1,300 persons, including babies and women are still held hostage in bombed theatre ruins in Mariupol’s besieged capital (pictured).
Yesterday’s helpless victims were forced to stay a third night in basement of destroyed Drama Theatre, which was attacked by Vladimir Putin’s troops on Wednesday
As they flee from the attack, residents are seen gathering their belongings on the streets.
Lviv’s city centre has 109 empty carriages for the 109 children killed by Russia during its invasion of Ukraine.
Pictured is the aftermath of a theater in Mariupol (encircled Ukrainian port) where hundreds of civilians had taken refuge Wednesday, March 16, 2008.
The photo shows a woman and her child fleeing Mariupol via a humanitarian corridor. It was inaugurated on Thursday. Previous attempts to open it had failed due to Russian shelling.
Mariupol is a besieged south port city that has seen locals seeking shelter in the basement of their buildings.
Local officials said that more than 130 victims have been found in the wreckage of Mariupol’s theatre, which was used to house the biggest civilian bomb shelter for the devastated port city.
They claimed that the number of civilians saved was only one-tenth of those still trapped in the refuge, which miraculously survived the blast.
Lyudmyla Dmitrova, Ukraine’s human rights commissar, stated that more than 1,300 people are currently living in basements or bomb shelters. Although we pray they are alive, there is not much information.
Serhiy Taruta, former governor of Russia, said that many survivors are at risk because Russian troops destroyed the emergency services.
“Services which are supposed to assist are destroyed, emergency and utility services are destroyed.” He wrote that this means all survivors of the bombing would either be buried under the theatre’s ruins or will have died already.
Aerial view of smoke rising from the damaged buildings after Friday’s explosion at Mariupol
Aerial view of residential buildings damaged in conflict between Ukraine and Russia during the siege of Mariupol’s southern port city.
A Mariupol woman weeps as she sees the ruin of her block of flats that were destroyed by Russia.
Mariupol’s basement is where women seek shelter after weeks of Russian bombardment.
After being destroyed in Russian bombardment, a heavily bombed building can be seen in Mariupol (Ukraine).
It is a haunting sight that shows the tragedy of humankind at the heart of conflict. Families are torn apart in war.
One Ukrainian city holds a moving protest about the unarmed civilians who died in the conflict.
As they stand in line for their escape from the destruction of their car, evacuees are seen waiting in an abandoned vehicle as they try to get out of Mariupol.
He stated that those left trapped were allowed to make their escape from the three-storey, collapsed structure.
The truth is that people do all the work. My friends offered to help me, but the shelling was too much.
Dmytro Gurin, Mariupol MP insists that although the Russian military has hampered rescue efforts, they are still being carried out.
According to one woman, the strike took place as people were still cooking under the theatre and around 100 of them had left.
Nick Osychenko (CEO of Mariupol TV) stated that as he flew from Mariupol with six of his relatives, aged between 4 – 61 years, he was confronted by dead bodies.
He said, “We tried to protect their eyes because we were cautious and didn’t want them to see the corpses.” “We were anxious the entire journey. It was terrifying, it was just scary.
While fearsome Chechen special forces fight house-to-house to defend Mariupol, ‘hundreds’ of children and women remain trapped under the rubble of an encroaching Russian invasion.
This propaganda video shows the Chechen fighters posing with their children as they emerge from the building while purportedly ‘liberating” civilians.
Ramzan Kadyrov (pro-Putin Chechen warlord) released video showing heavily-armed Chechen fighters pounding the top of a bombed-out building during a gunfight against Ukrainian soldiers.
Russia denies responsibility for the devastating strike, which was called a “war crime” and provoked outrage around the world.
Officials in Ukraine revealed that after a night of terror and uncertainty, they are hopeful that most people within the building will survive the attack.
Rescuers stated that although the basement’s entrance had collapsed, the shelter was still relatively intact.
Ms. Denisova however stated that, while some survived, the overall situation was still unclear.
She stated that there is no current information on the bodies or injuries of the victims under rubble and described the attack as a genocide, and a grave crime against humanity.
Oleksii Raznikov (Minister of Defence in Ukraine) called the Russian pilot who carried out the bombing an ‘evil’.
Vladimir Putin delivered a shocking address to thousands of Russians at Moscow’s World Cup Stadium, in celebration of his invasion of Ukraine 2014 and to drum up support for his new war.
Putin spoke in front of a crowd tens of thousands strong at the Luzhniki World Cup stadium in Moscow, one of the few times he has been seen in public since launching his invasion 23 days ago
Putin used the rally as a platform to discredit the reasons for the war and sell a narrative about Russia’s military success.
Putin called the rally for the eighth anniversary of Crimea’s annexation. He talked of “de-Nazifying” the peninsula, and debunked claims that there was a genocide in Donbass.
Vasily Nebenzya, the UN ambassador to Russia, denied yesterday that Russia targeted the shelter.
Feared Chechen special forces continue to fight house-to-house for control of the port city.
Video said to have been released by pro-Putin Chechen warlord Ramzan Kadyrov shows heavily armed fighters from the region pounding a high-rise building in the bombed-out city during a fierce gunfight with Ukrainian soldiers.
This propaganda video shows the Chechen fighters posing with their children as they emerge from the building while purportedly ‘liberating” civilians.
Russia’s defence ministry stated Friday that their troops entered the city and were fighting in its centre. There are fears it will soon fall to Putin after being shelled for three weeks. It will become the biggest captured city so far, even though it would be nearly destroyed if it falls.
Svitlana Zilenko claimed that she had left the city Tuesday along with her son.
Last week, a bomb struck the school and injured a young woman. Svitlana stated that a bomb exploded at the school, leaving a victim with severe injuries.[She]received by the Red Cross in less than a day. I thank God for her health.
She said, “If there aren’t any food or medicine and if there’s not snow from such urban fightings, people won’t be able get water. All things are robbed and burned, from grocery shops to pharmacies.
“The deceased are not removed. The police recommend that relatives of natural-born victims of death open their windows to allow them to be positioned on the balcony. You may think that you know what I mean, but unless you are there you won’t be able to understand. It is my prayer that such an event will not occur again in Ukraine or anywhere around the world.
The shelling of other Ukrainian cities was underway despite pleas to the contrary on Friday. Lviv (in the west) and Kharkiv (in the east) were the first targets.
As his troops failed to capture Kyiv, the Russian President Vladimir Putin’s main objective in their efforts to force a settlement and dictate future policies for Ukraine, the war he started lasted only four weeks.
Putin gave today’s speech back in Moscow to the thousands of Russians who were waving banners, in an effort to garner support for his impending invasion.