At least 5,000 residents killed in besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol: Mayor

By Meiramgul Kussainova

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) - At least 5,000 people, including more than 200 children, were killed in the last month in Ukraine’s besieged city of Mariupol, its mayor said Wednesday.

“According to preliminary estimates, about 5,000 people died in Mariupol, 210 of whom were children, in just one month of the blockade,” Vadym Boychenko said during a roundtable meeting where the political and legal consequences of Russia's crimes against Ukraine were discussed via videoconference, the municipality said in a statement.

Boychenko said Mariupol is now about to be completely destroyed by Russian soldiers.

He noted more than 90% of the city's infrastructure has been destroyed and said that at least 40% is now unrecoverable.

Boychenko also said Russian troops hit a children's hospital and a theater building where more than 900 people were sheltering was also hit.

The Russia-Ukraine war, which started Feb. 24, has drawn international outrage, with Western countries and their allies implementing tough financial sanctions on Moscow.

At least 1,480 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,195 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.24 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.​​​​​​​