Ukraine war
Warning “Children” in vain: Mariupol theater completely destroyed, but air raid shelter withstands
“детй” – “Children” – is clearly written in Cyrillic in front and behind the theater in Mariupol. However, the building was attacked.
© Maxar Technologies / DPA
All the information was of no use: the Mariupol theater was completely destroyed, despite being clearly marked as a protective facility. The morning after, there was still good news.
The clues cannot be overlooked on the satellite images taken by the US company Maxar Technologies last Monday. On the squares in front of and behind the theater building in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol, which has been heavily contested for days, the word “children” is written in large Cyrillic letters in white chalk. It was meant to be a warning that the theater was sheltered by civilians, including many children. Apparently it was of no use.
The Mariupol theater has apparently been completely destroyed by shelling from the Russian army. Russia has denied an attack and blamed the right-wing Ukrainian Azov Brigade for the shelling. The information cannot be independently verified.
Mariupol: “The air raid shelter held out”
According to the Mariupol City Council, there were up to 1000 people in the shelters under the building. At first, the worst was feared, that hundreds had died as a result of the shelling. But then relief: “After a terrible night of uncertainty, on the morning of the 22nd day of the war, finally good news from Mariupol! The air raid shelter held out,” MP Serhiy Taruta wrote on Facebook on Thursday morning. The debris had started to be removed. “People come out alive!” This information could not initially be verified independently.
Nevertheless, there is shock at the attack on a building so clearly marked as a civilian protective facility. Human Rights Watch said it could not be ruled out that a Ukrainian military target was near the theater. “But we do know that the theater housed at least 500 civilians.” Videos are circulating on social media showing the situation before the shelling. Accordingly, countless people had sought protection in and under the theater – in extensive darkness and urgent confinement. Numerous children can be seen, babies’ cries can be heard.
“We will never forgive”
The mayor of Mariupol reacted very emotionally. “The only word that describes what happened today is genocide,” said Vadym Boichenko in a video on the Messenger service Telegram. The crime was unbelievable, “we want to close our eyes and forget the nightmare that happened today,” he said before it became known that those seeking protection had apparently survived the attack. “We will never forgive this,” said a statement from the city council of the surrounded city.
This photo released by local authorities is said to show the Mariupol theater destroyed by an attack. The shelter under the theater with up to 1,000 inmates apparently withstood the bombs.
© Handout / pavlokyrylenko_donoda / Telegram / AFP
The Russian army makes no distinction between military and civilian casualties, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyj, connected via video, referring to the Mariupol Theater in a speech to the German Bundestag on Thursday morning. According to Ukrainian sources, a rocket attack on a refugee convoy near the city on Wednesday killed several people. A total of 2,000 civilians are said to have died in the surrounded city on the Azov Sea.
According to Mayor Boitschenko, people in 6,500 private cars have finally been able to leave the city in the past two days after multiple attempts. But there is no ceasefire, people fled under fire. The humanitarian situation in Mariupol is considered catastrophic. According to aid organizations, there is almost no water and no food; Electricity and heating are reportedly also no longer available. Aid convoys are said to have failed to make it into the city on several occasions.