Mariupol shaken by explosions, air defense possibly engaged, Ukrainian official says

"Mariupol. Two explosions in the Central district in the direction of Nikolske,” he wrote.

“At least one of them is the enemy air defense operating. The details are being clarified."

Mariupol siege and further Russian occupation

The Russian troops occupied Mariupol in May 2022, following a nearly three-month siege and intense battles. Before the full-scale invasion, around 450,000 people resided in this port city. Half of the residents fled the city, and tens of thousands perished.

By the time the last Ukrainian defenders left the Azovstal Metallurgical Plant and surrendered in May, Mariupol turned from a major industrial hub into ruins.

The Russian occupiers aimed to conceal the traces of their crimes in occupied Mariupol and portray the city as being "rebuilt," but "reality is very different from propaganda", the Financial Times reported on Feb. 8. 

Russia employed "deliberate starvation tactics" during its 85-day siege of Mariupol in early 2022, constituting a war crime, the Guardian reported, citing new analysis submitted to the International Criminal Court.