Russia bombs Ukraine art school sheltering 400 people in Mariupol
Lviv, Ukraine, Mar 20 (EFE).- The Russian forces have bombed an art school in the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol that sheltered 400 people, including women, children, and the elderly, the regional authorities said Sunday, describing it as a “war crime.”
The regional council strongly condemned the bombing and said an unknown number of people were under the rubble of the destroyed building complex.
The council did not confirm casualties from the attack on Saturday.
In a statement published on Telegram, the city council accused the Russian forces of committing war crimes in Mariupol, as President Volodomir Zelensky said in his late-night video address to the nation on Saturday.
He said the siege of Mariupol would “go down in the history of responsibility for war crimes.”
“To do this to a peaceful city, what the occupiers did, is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come,” Zelenskyy said in his video address to the nation.
The Russian offensive on Mariupol intensified over the past several days. The Ukrainian government has admitted that there was no possibility of sending military reinforcements to the besieged southern port city.
Presidential advisor Olexij Arestowytsch said the closest forces were more than 100 km away or already fighting the enemy.
“Currently there is no military solution for Mariupol. It is not only my opinion, it is also the opinion of the military,” he said.
According to the authorities, 4,128 people have managed to flee the city through humanitarian corridors.
The city council has also assured that thousands of people were deported by the Russian forces to Russia. EFE
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