Russia destroying war crime evidence in Mariupol Theater attack on anniversary, Zelenskyy says
Mariupol Theater destroyed by the Russians, February 2, 2023 (Photo:REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)
One year ago today, on March 16, Russian forces dropped a powerful bomb on the Mariupol Drama Theatre, where hundreds of people were hiding, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a Telegram post, adding that Ukraine vows to bring Russia to justice for the targeted attack.
"Next to the building was the inscription "Children", which was impossible to overlook," he wrote.
“Hundreds of people were hiding from the shelling there. Step by step, we are moving towards ensuring that the terrorist state is fully held to account for what it has done to our country and our people.”
Currently, the Russian occupation authorities have fenced off and are dismantling the ruins of the Mariupol Drama Theater to destroy evidence of their war crime. The video was posted by the city's mayoral advisor Petro Andriushchenko.
Enemy aviation bombed Mariupol Drama Theater when up to 1,300 people could have been inside the shelter. According to Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko, about 300 people died in the attack.
The Associated Press investigated and claimed that 600 people were killed in the targeted Russian attack on a civilian population – a war crime.
To hide the traces of their crimes, the Russian occupation administration brought mobile crematoria to Mariupol and began taking the bodies of dead civilians out of the city.
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