Rescue workers have been searching for survivors in the rubble of a theatre in the besieged city of Mariupol which Ukraine said had been hit by a Russian air raid, as Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine entered its fourth week.
Hundreds of civilians had been taking shelter in the grand, columned theatre in central Mariupol after their homes were destroyed in three weeks of fighting in the southern port city of 430,000. Russia denied bombing the building.
City authorities said they were still not able to estimate the number of possible casualties from the attack on the theatre.
Commercial satellite pictures showed the word “children” had been marked out on the ground in front of the building before it was hit.
Russian foreign ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said the allegation that Russia had bombed the theatre was a “lie”.
She told the news briefing that Russia’s armed forces don’t bomb towns and cities where children are taking shelter.
Local authorities said 350,000 people remain trapped in Mariupol, and that 30,000 had been evacuated in recent days.
Officials from both sides met again for talks but said their positions remained far apart as Western sources and Ukrainian officials said Russia’s assault had stalled.
The assault on Ukraine started with troops crossing the border or landing by sea and air on February 24.
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