Drone footage has been released that shows the scale of devastation Russia has unleashed on the Ukrainian city of Mariupol.
Once home to more than 400,000 people, the port on the Sea of Azov at the mouth of the Kalmius river has been under siege for much of the 20-day invasion. It's people have been without food supplies, water, power or heat for more than a week.
Thousands of people have died in the city - with the exact death toll unknown. Petr Andryushchenko, adviser to the city’s mayor, had said the death toll was estimated to be 10,000 - and could rise to 20,000 - but this figure has been dismissed as 'false information' by a media outlet in Ukraine.
Mr Andryushchenko told Canadian press: "We now estimate that number of people killed has reached 10,000. And if the Russians keep shelling, we may see more than 20,000 people killed because of the Russian attacks."
However, the Kyiv Independent reported: "False information surrounding death toll in Mariupol circulates online. Mariupol City Council has confirmed that around 2,357 people in the city have died as a result of Russian aggression as of March 14, and that all other estimates are false."
Mariupol has become a symbol of resistance to Russian President Vladimir Putin’s drive to crush democratic Ukraine and redraw the world map in his favour. The failure to subjugate Mariupol has pushed Russian forces to broaden their offensive elsewhere in Ukraine.
It was home to a maternity hospital that was bombed by Russian forces. A pregnant woman and her baby died as a result of the attack. Images of the woman being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher had circled the world, epitomising the horror of the attack.
The woman was seen stroking her bloodied lower abdomen as rescuers rushed her through the rubble in the besieged city of Mariupol. It was among the most brutal moments so far in Russia’s war on Ukraine.
The sea port key to creating a land bridge from Russia to Russian-annexed Crimea, and has been bombarded by missiles - which have destroyed swathes of the city. Mariupol was home a maternity hospital which was struck by artillery, resulting in the death of a pregnant woman and her baby. Images of the woman being rushed to an ambulance on a stretcher had circled the world, epitomising the horror of the attack.
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