It did not take next-generation satellite technology to see the large signs, in Russian, which spelled out ‘children’. But the Donetsk Regional Theatre of Drama in the besieged city of Mariupol, a makeshift shelter for more than 1,000 women and children – many of whose homes had already been flattened – was bombed anyway.
It is hard to know which is more implausible. That anyone could survive such a catastrophic impact – these devastating pictures show the theatre before and after the attack. Or that a military pilot, no matter how grizzled, could follow such an order. Amazingly, people are starting to emerge from the rubble.
The Ukrainians called the attack “deliberate and cynical”. The Russians denied they had targeted the building, but they have already bombed hospitals, churches and too many homes to count. And back in February, Vladimir Putin said he had no plans whatsoever to invade Ukraine.
It is easy to dismiss the idea of a no-fly zone over Ukraine. Such a move by Nato would represent a dramatic escalation that would potentially involve shooting down Russian aircraft and stationary targets. Indeed, Biden sums up his approach to the conflict thus: “Direct confrontation between NATO and Russia is World War Three, something we must strive to prevent.”
Instead, the US has declared war on Russia’s economy (it has come close to defaulting on its sovereign debt), armed Ukraine (another $800m in defensive weaponry is on its way) and through the nimble but relentless use of diplomacy and intelligence, managed to corral much of the world into outright opposition to Putin.
And all the while, the Kremlin’s invasion is stalling. British defence chiefs today stressed that the Russian army was making “minimal progress” on land, sea or air and was continuing to suffer “heavy losses”. Some reports from America put the Russian military death toll at more than 7,000.
If confirmed, that would mean in three weeks, Russia has lost half as many troops as the Soviet Union suffered in ten years of fighting in Afghanistan. But that remarkable statistic will be of little comfort to anyone sheltering in that Soviet-era theatre in downtown Mariupol.
From the relative safety of the Standard’s office in west London, Biden’s ‘no World War III’ policy is pretty persuasive. And he maintains a credible redline on ramping up sanctions should Putin use chemical or biological weapons, and is robust on the implications of a Russian attack on a Nato member.
But I keep returning to that theatre and the people sheltering in it.
In the comment pages, Tulip Siddiq, Labour MP for Hampstead and Kilburn, writes that while we celebrate Nazanin’s joyous release, we must ensure this never happens again.
Meanwhile, Ebinehita Iyere, reflecting on the Black Hackney schoolgirl strip-searched by police while on her period, says we must protect and listen to Black girls, and cherish Black girlhood.
And finally, the world’s only museum dedicated to the gynaecological anatomy is back and bigger than ever. Welcome inside the Vagina Museum’s new home in Bethnal Green.
