According to the municipality, about 1,200 people were hiding in the bunker under the building at the time of the attack. Among them were many women and children. This information cannot be independently verified. It is not yet clear if there were any casualties in the air raid shelter and how many people are still alive. The port city is under heavy fire, which makes independent information gathering difficult.
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“It seems that most of the people have survived and are fine,” Ukrainian MP Dmytro Gorin, from Mariupol, told the BBC Thursday morning. Guren’s parents are also said to be in the air raid shelter. Another deputy, Serge Taruta, wrote on Facebook that “people are getting out alive.” Deputy Prime Minister Stefanichina spoke of a “miracle”.
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The theater in Mariupol after the Russian air raid.
Ⓒ National Ports Agency / Agence France-Presse
Back and forth charges
Much remains unclear about the attack on the stage. According to the city council, Russian forces “deliberately” destroyed the building. Human Rights Watch says a military target may have been nearby. Russia denies attacking the theater of operations and has stated in state media that the far-right Azov Brigade was behind the explosion.
In modernizing Ukraine, retired General Mart de Cruyff feared Mariupol again in the port of Odessa:
