The extent of the destruction inflicted on the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol by Russian forces is revealed in new satellite images showing destroyed apartment buildings, exploding gardens and burning grocery stores.
Appearing alongside photos from before the invasion, the photographs paint a grim picture of the damage inflicted on the hitherto besieged city, which Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has described as “The Ultimate Evidence of the Ukrainian Genocide“Following the bombing of the maternity hospital.
The city’s deputy mayor, Sergei Orlov, told reporters that several civilian targets had been bombed so far, including several residential homes, a children’s and maternity hospital, the main administrative services building, and the city’s giant Avostal metallurgical plant.
Orloff said 1,160 people had already been killed and 47 were buried on Wednesday alone. About 200,000 people want to get out of the city, but with the humanitarian corridors bombed, only 2,000 to 3,000 people are able to leave a day.
The first photo, taken by the private company Maxar, shows the massive devastation of the city’s grocery stores and shopping center, with both buildings set ablaze under heavy bombardment.
Another image reveals damage to residential areas, where many residents live without electricity, heating, water or communications for more than a week. Some buildings were completely destroyed.
Another image shows areas of apartment houses destroyed, while nearby gardens appear to have been burnt. What appears to be an apartment building on the left edge has been badly damaged.
Another comparison image showing the damage to the malls, with the roof of the central building partially collapsed and the interior exposed.
The worst bombardment was in the west of the city, where the Red Cross described conditions in the city as “horrific”, while Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk said the situation was “catastrophic”.
In the call with reporters, Orlov called the siege “pure genocide.”
They used aviation, artillery, multiple rocket launchers, Grads, and other types of weapons that we don’t even know about. This is not just treachery. “It is a war crime and pure genocide,” he said.