No mercy, not even for children: new satellite images show bombed Mariupol

One of the bloodiest battles of the war in Ukraine to date was around the Ukrainian port city of Mariupol on the Sea of ​​Azov. After the outbreak of war, it quickly became clear that it would only take a few weeks for the Russian army to gain full control of the port city in southeastern Ukraine.

By March 1, a week after the outbreak of war on February 24, the Russians had completely encircled the city and gradually gained control of the city over the course of March. Only in the huge steelworks of Azovstal were several hundred Ukrainian soldiers underground. But they too had to admit defeat to the Russian occupiers at the end of May.

Google released new satellite images of the Russian-occupied city this week. They show the enormity of the destruction the city suffered when it was captured by the Russians. As you can see, the city was practically razed to the ground.

No mercy for civilians

An air raid on the city’s theater on March 16 caused particular horror. According to the Associated Press (AP) news agency, several hundred people – including many children – would have sought refuge in the theater at the time.

To draw the attention of the Russian attackers to this, “ДЕТИ” (Deti – in English children) was written in large letters on the forecourt of the theater. So big that they can even be seen on Google’s satellite images.

It was of no use to those seeking shelter, as this week’s new satellite images of the theater impressively demonstrate. According to the AP, about 600 civilians were killed in the airstrike. (aargauerzeitung.ch)