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

UPDATES WITH STATEMENT FROM UKRAINE’S DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

By Meiramgul Kussainova

KYIV, Ukraine (AA) – At least 5,000 people, including more than 200 children, were killed last month in Ukraine’s besieged city of Mariupol, its mayor said on 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, as more than 90% of the city’s infrastructure has been destroyed and at least 40% is now unrecoverable.

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

Meanwhile, a total of 4,892 people were evacuated from dangerous areas in Ukraine on Wednesday, said Iryna Vereshchuk, deputy prime minister and minister for the reintegration of temporarily occupied territories.

“A total of 3,686 people left Mariupol and Berdiansk with private vehicles and buses for Zaporizhia,” she said.

“In the Luhansk region, 1,206 people were evacuated from the towns of Lysychansk, Sievierodonetsk, Rubizhne, Kreminna, and the Hirske village,” she added.

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 1,563 civilians have been killed in Ukraine and 2,213 injured, according to UN estimates, with the true figure feared to be far higher.

More than 4.27 million Ukrainians have also fled to other countries, with millions more internally displaced, according to the UN refugee agency.​​​​​​​