A total of 1,207 civilians in Mariupol have died since the start, nine days ago, of the Russian siege of this strategic Ukrainian port, the city’s mayor’s office said on Wednesday.
“Nine days. Nine days of blockade of Mariúpol (…). Nine days – 1,207 dead civilians. Nine days of genocide of the civilian population,” said the mayor’s office in a message on Telegram, along with a video with statements by the mayor , a few hours after Russian bombing destroyed a pediatric hospital in the city.
The press service of the Ukrainian presidency, questioned by AFP about this balance, replied: “We do not have the exact number [de muertos]but the provisional figure is correct”.
“We will never forgive. We will never forget. The people of Mariupol resist,” added the mayor of this industrial city on the shores of the Sea of Azov, which had 450,000 inhabitants before the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine on February 24.
On Wednesday, a Russian aerial bombardment hit a pediatric hospital, injuring 17 adults, according to a regional official.
That attack provoked a wave of international outrage and led the UN and the World Health Organization (WHO) to call for “an immediate cessation of attacks on health facilities.”
Ukrainian President Volodimir Zelensky called it a “war crime.”
