Russian troops shelled a mosque in a Ukrainian port city housing civilians days after Russian airstrikes decimated a maternity hospital in Mariupol, according to Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry.
Over 80 adults and children had taken shelter in a mosque when the shelling occurred, but so far, there are no reports of casualties from the incident.
“At this very moment, the army is bombing the Magnificent Mosque, which was built in memory of Suleiman the Magnificent and Hurrem Sultan. Many adults and children, including Turkish citizens, are hiding from the bombardment in the mosque,” Emine Dzheppar, the first deputy minister of foreign affairs for Ukraine, tweeted.
RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKE HITS CHILDREN AND MATERNITY HOSPITAL IN MARIUPOL
Violence in Mariupol has escalated in recent days as Russian forces attempt to secure a foothold in the strategically important port city. Russian forces have surrounded the city of 446,000 people and bombarded it with a flurry of attacks over recent weeks. The city’s 12-day death toll surpassed 1,500 on Friday, the mayor’s office said.
The situation in Mariupol has raised concerns about a growing humanitarian crisis as the Kremlin’s offensive has stymied efforts to transport needed food and water in the metropolitan area. Ukrainian authorities have scrambled to evacuate civilians and have faced major obstacles in their efforts to dig trenches for needed graves, according to the Associated Press. Fighting has knocked out critical power supplies, adding to the city’s plight, and officials say it is low on critical supplies.
“Besieged Mariupol is now the worst humanitarian catastrophe on the planet. 1582 dead civilians in 12 days, even buried in mass graves like this one. Unable to defeat the Ukrainian Army, Putin bombs the unarmed, blocks humanitarian aid. We need planes to stop Russian war crimes,” Dmytro Kuleba, Ukraine’s minister of foreign affairs, tweeted Friday.
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Thus far, Russian forces have gained control of Mariupol’s eastern outskirts, Ukraine’s military says. Complete control over the port city would undermine Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea and bolster Russia’s attempt to conquer the country’s second-largest city, Kharkiv. Russian forces are attempting to capture Mariupol in Donetsk Oblast and Severodonetsk in Luhansk Oblast, which are notably to the south of Kharkiv, according to Ukraine’s military.
Russian forces are also closing in on the capital of Kyiv. The Kremlin’s forces have come within 15 miles of Kyiv’s center, the United Kingdom’s Defense Ministry said Saturday. British officials believe Russia is gearing up to encircle the city.
