New satellite imagery revealing the scale of destruction caused by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine shows a residential area burning and the word “children” written in Russian outside a theatre that was later bombed.
An image captured on Monday by Maxar Technologies, a geospatial intelligence company based in Colorado in the US, shows a theatre in Mariupol with the Russian word for children written in large white letters on the ground outside – in an apparent effort to deter an attack.
Hundreds of civilians had been sheltering in the theatre, Ukrainian officials said, and are now feared trapped or killed after the location was attacked on Wednesday evening.
The civilians had sought safety in the theatre amid Russia’s three-week siege of the strategic Azov Sea port city.
Elsewhere, a satellite image from Wednesday shows flames pouring from buildings in a residential area in north-east Chernihiv.
Another picture from above the besieged city in northern Ukraine, also captured on Wednesday, shows an athletics track and training centre with a large crater in the middle of its sports pitch.
In the southern city of Volnovakha, before and after images show how a local neighbourhood has been transformed from green to a blackened hue.
A comparison between July 2021 and March 14 2022 shows damage caused to houses and other buildings, with several roofs collapsed and debris scattered across the area.
Volnovakha has been encircled by Russian forces and has experienced ongoing attacks.
An area around Volnovakha’s train station can also be seen to be damaged, with more roofs collapsed, debris and dark patches where previously there were green trees.
On Wednesday, the UK’s mission to the United Nations said Russia was “committing war crimes and targeting civilians”.
US president Joe Biden has also condemned Russia’s actions, describing the country’s president Vladimir Putin as a “war criminal” on Wednesday.
