Ukrainian lawmaker says ‘thousands’ were in bombed Mariupol theater

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba confirms that Russian forces dropped a large bomb on Mariupol’s theater, where people in the besieged city were sheltering from Russian attacks.

“Russians could not have not known this was a civilian shelter,” he says.

Another horrendous war crime in Mariupol. Massive Russian attack on the Drama Theater where hundreds of innocent civilians were hiding. The building is now fully ruined. Russians could not have not known this was a civilian shelter. Save Mariupol! Stop Russian war criminals! pic.twitter.com/bIQLxe7mli

— Dmytro Kuleba (@DmytroKuleba) March 16, 2022

Inna Sovsun, a member of Ukraine’s parliament, tells CNN “thousands” were sheltering in the palatial building, and it’s not known how many survived.

‼️This is all that remains of the Drama Theater in #Mariupol

According to local media, up to 1,000 people could have been inside the building. All of them are now under the rubble of the building. The exact number of casualties is still unknown. pic.twitter.com/4L3D8lt39E

— NEXTA (@nexta_tv) March 16, 2022