Mariupol theatre airstrike

The theatre in May 2021, ten months before the airstrike

On 24 February, the Russian Armed Forces, working together with pro-Russian rebels, besieged the port city of Mariupol, leading to heavy casualties. Supplies such as food, gas, and electricity were cut off from the population.[3] By March 17, the mayor of Mariupol, Sergiy Orlov, estimated that 80 to 90% of the city had been destroyed due to shelling.[8]

Severely damaged theatre (view from the road).[11]

On 16 March, Ukraine accused Russian forces of shelling civilian areas in Mariupol. Artillery hit numerous locations, including a swimming pool building and a vehicle convoy.[12] Shelling then struck the theatre, reducing the building to rubble.[13]

While the theatre was estimated to have held 500[10] to 1,200 civilians in the days before 16 March,[5][14] casualty figures were not known as of 16 March 2022. The bomb shelter in the basement of the theatre survived the bombing.[14] Many people were trapped under the burning rubble of the collapsed theatre following the attack, and ongoing shelling in the area complicated recovery efforts.[7][9]

A member of the Ukrainian parliament from Mariupol, Dmytro Gurin, said that the rescue efforts were hampered due to continued attacks on the area by Russian forces.[15]

On 25 March, videos allegedly showing the immediate aftermath of the attack emerged on social media.[16]

One video showed people covered in dust descending from the partially destroyed upper floors of the building. A second video showed the site of the impact.

As of 17 March 2022, the number of casualties was unclear. Some people emerged alive on 17 March.[17] By 18 March, around 130 survivors had been rescued.[18] Mariupol City Council stated that according to initial information, no one had been killed, although one person was gravely wounded.[2]

By 22 March, there was no independent confirmation of the claims by President Zelenskyy that 130 people had been rescued, but that hundreds were possibly still trapped under the rubble.[19]

On 25 March, estimates of around 300 people being killed in the Mariupol theatre airstrike were published by Mariupol City Council.[1][4] The estimates were made with reference to eyewitness accounts and have not been independently verified.[4]

Ukrainian President Zelensky accused Russia of committing a war crime.[7]

Russian media have widely reported that Russian Ministry of Defense denied responsibility for the bombing and accused the Azov Battalion of having planned and carrying out the theatre bombing instead.[3][7] They claimed that no Russian airforces carried out air strikes within the city and blamed Azov Battalion for "taking hostages" of civilians and blowing up upper floors of the theatre.[20]

Italy's Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, made an offer to the Ukrainian government to rebuild the theatre.[21]

On April 13, 2022, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) published a report which covered the Mariupol theatre airstrike.

Russia does not claim that it was a legitimate target but that it was blown up by the Ukrainian Azov battalion. The Mission did not receive any indication that this could be the case... This incident constitutes most likely an egregious violation of IHL and those who ordered or executed it committed a war crime.[22]

• Mariupol art school bombing
• Mariupol hospital airstrike