At the time of the attack, hundreds and possibly even a thousand civilians would be present in the theater to shelter from the violence of war. That says Deputy Mayor Serhiy Orlov of the heavily besieged southern port city to the BBC. At least yesterday, according to journalists, hundreds of people were hiding in the building.
An investigation is currently underway to determine how many victims there are. The claim of the Ukrainians is difficult to independently verify. The Russian Defense Ministry has denied carrying out this attack via the Russian state news agency RIA Novostibij. Images of the possibly destroyed theater are shown on social media. According to the Red Cross, the city is currently in an ‘awakening nightmare’.
Earlier today, Ukraine accused Russian troops of firing missiles at a convoy of evacuees. The people shot at were just trying to flee the city. At least five people were said to have been injured, including a child. The exact number of victims has yet to be determined. Authorities showed photos and video footage of a blackened vehicle. That claim has yet to be verified. Russia denies that its troops are shooting at civilians. In recent days, thousands of civilians were able to leave the surrounded city in vehicles via special escape routes.
The Ukrainian army also allegedly killed Russian general Oleg Mityaev in Mariupol. Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky spoke last night about a fourth Russian general killed, but did not name a name.
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