Kyiv, April 11 (Reuters) – Ukraine said Monday that tens of thousands of people were probably killed in a Russian attack in the southeastern city of Mariupol, while the country’s ombudsman accused Russian forces in the region of torture and executions.
Reuters confirmed widespread destruction in Mariupol, but could not verify the alleged crimes or the assessment of those killed in the strategic city, which lies between Russia’s annexed Crimea and eastern Ukraine, held by Russian-backed separatists.
“Mariupol has been destroyed, tens of thousands have been killed, but the Russians are not stopping their offensive,” President Vladimir Zelensky said in a video address to South Korean lawmakers, without giving further details.
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If confirmed, this will be the largest death toll so far reported in one place in Ukraine, where towns, cities and villages have been subjected to ruthless bombing and bodies, including civilians, have been seen on the streets.
The head of Russia’s self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic, Denis Pushilin, told Russia’s RIA news agency on Monday that more than 5,000 people may have been killed in Mariupol. He said Ukrainian forces were responsible.
The number of people leaving the city has decreased as Russian forces delayed inspections before leaving, Petro Andryushchenko, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol, told the Telegram news service on Monday.
About 10,000 people are awaiting review by Russian forces, he said. Russia does not allow the military to leave with evacuated civilians. There was no immediate comment from Moscow, which had previously accused Ukraine of blocking the evacuations.
Citing data from the Mariupol city administration, Ukrainian human rights ombudsman Lyudmila Denisova said 33,000 Mariupol residents had been deported to Russia or territories held by Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine. Russia said on Sunday it had “evacuated” 723,000 people from Ukraine since the start of a “special operation” it called. Moscow denies attacking civilians.
Pro-Russian troops inspect streets during Ukraine-Russia conflict in southern port city of Mariupol, Ukraine, April 7, 2022. REUTERS / Alexander Ermochenko / Photo file
“Witnesses report that the troops of the Russian National Guard and the” Kadyrov “(Chechen) units make illegal arrests, torture detainees and execute them for any pro-Ukrainian position,” Denisova told Telegram in Mariupol.
The Russian government did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the allegations of torture.
Adviser to the Ukrainian Interior Ministry Anton Gerashchenko said in a television interview Monday that the Ukrainian “deportees” were being held in guarded sanatoriums and holiday camps.
“These people have no right to move freely or have free access to communication platforms to connect with their relatives in Ukraine,” he said, without citing direct evidence.
Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Irina Vereshchuk told Reuters that the number of checkpoints on the Russian-controlled corridor between Mariupol and the Ukrainian city of Zaporozhye had risen from three to 15.
Mariupol was among nine humanitarian corridors agreed with Russia on Monday to evacuate people from the besieged eastern regions, but its corridor was only for private cars, Vereshchuk told Telegram.
It was not possible to negotiate the provision of buses, she said.
Ukraine says Russian forces are gathering for a new offensive in the eastern regions, including Mariupol, where people have been without water, food and energy supplies for weeks. Read more
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Additional reports by Max Hunder and Elizabeth Piper; writing by Connor Humphries; edited by Philippa Fletcher, William McLean and Grant McCool
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