Photo: 2022 Maxar Technologies/getty

Mariupol

A Mariupol theater in which hundreds of Ukrainian residents weretaking shelterwas bombed — even though the word “children” was written in Russian outside the building.

“On 16 March, Russian air force dropped a powerful bomb on the building of the drama theatre in Mariupol. The theatre building served as a shelter for hundreds of Mariupol residents who had lost their homes as a result of Russian armed forces bombing and shelling the city,“a statementfrom the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine read in part.

“The bomb strike demolished the central part of the theatre building, causing large numbers of people to be buried under the debris. The assessment of the exact number of persons affected is currently impossible due to ongoing shelling,” continued the statement.

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More than 100 children have been killed since Russia began its invasion of Ukraine on Feb. 24,a Ukrainian official reportedly saidon Wednesday.

Damage at Mariupol’s children’s hospital.Evgeniy Maloletka/AP/Shutterstock

Mariupol, Ukraine maternity and children’s hospital shelled

In an update posted to Telegram, Prosecutor General Irina Venediktova said at least 103 children have died and 100 have been wounded in the ongoing war,according toThe Washington Post. Echoing other assessments, her office warned that the death toll was likely much higher and that it was difficult to determine precise numbers amid the fighting.

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Putin insists Ukraine has historic ties to Russia, and he is acting in the best security interests of his country. Zelenskyy vowed not to bend.

“Nobody is going to break us, we’re strong, we’re Ukrainians,“he told the European Unionin a speech in the early days of the fighting, adding, “Life will win over death. And light will win over darkness.”

source: people.com