Ukraine theatre where hundreds of civilians sheltered hit in air strike, Russia denies attack
- Theatre bombing is the latest assault on civilians in Ukraine; number of casualties not yet known
- US President Joe Biden branded Russian leader Vladimir Putin a ‘war criminal’ for the first time in public
International outrage over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine grew on Thursday as US and Ukrainian officials said civilians waiting in line for bread and sheltering in a theatre had been killed by Russian forces.
US President Joe Biden called Russian leader Vladimir Putin a war criminal in comments the Kremlin said were “unforgivable” as it insisted the war in Ukraine was going to plan.
Moscow has yet to capture any of Ukraine’s biggest cities despite the largest assault on a European state since World War II. More than 3 million Ukrainians have fled and thousands have died as the war enters its fourth week.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry said Russian forces dropped a powerful bomb on a theatre in the besieged southern port city of Mariupol, leaving many civilians trapped and an unknown number of casualties.
Maxar Technologies, a private US company, distributed satellite imagery it said was collected on March 14 and showed the word “children” in large Russian script painted on the ground outside the red-roofed building.
The theatre had been housing at least 500 civilians, according to Human Rights Watch. The Mariupol local council said it was more than a thousand people.
“Today, the invaders destroyed the Drama Theatre. A place, where more than a thousand people found refuge. We will never forgive this,” the Mariupol local council said in a Telegram post.