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Fate of hundreds sheltering in bombed theater in Mariupol is "unknown," regional official says

16 March 2022 22:03 (UTC +04:00)

Pavlo Kyrylenko, the head of Donetsk regional administration which includes Mariupol, said Russian forces are trying to "physically destroy Mariupol and the people of Mariupol, which have been a symbol of our resistance" after a theater sustained heavy damage in an apparent bombing, APA reports citing CNN.

Kyrylenko said they launched an air strike on the "Drama Theater" and "the Neptune" swimming pool.

"According to preliminary data, several hundred Mariupol residents were hiding in the Drama Theater. Their fate is unknown, as the entrance to the bomb shelter is blocked by rubble," he said.

"The Russians are already lying, [saying] that the headquarters of the Azov Regiment was there. But they themselves are well aware that there were only civilians," he continued on Facebook.

The Azov Battalion is an ultra-nationalist militia that has since been integrated into the Ukrainian armed forces.

"Now there are pregnant women and women with children under the rubble. This is pure terrorism!" he wrote.
It is currently impossible to determine the number of casualties of these shellings and the extent of the destruction as well.