Ukraine Update: Mariupol officials dig mass graves as death toll rises

by mcardinal

Chris Lange, FISM News

 

The humanitarian crisis in Mariupol is staggering. The strategic port city of 430,000 has become a nightmarish existence for those trapped inside as corpses line in the streets.

Those who managed to survive another night of relentless shelling by Russian forces have been reduced to melting snow for water and breaking into stores searching for food. An earlier attempt to evacuate civilians and bring in desperately needed water, food, and medicine failed as Russian forces once again fired upon those trying to escape through a designated humanitarian corridor, according to an AP report. Mariupol authorities have begun digging mass graves, though it is impossible to know how many are dead.

Dmytro Kuleba, the Ukranian Minster of Foreign Affairs, gave a grim report of the situation in Mariupol this morning before urging “the world to act”

Natalia Mudrenko, the highest-ranking woman at Ukraine’s U.N. Mission, gave the Security Council an emotional first-hand account of witnessing the death of a 6-year-old shortly after the girl’s mother was killed by Russian shelling.

“She was alone in the last moments of her life,” she said, struggling to maintain her composure. Mudrenko said the people of Mariupol have “been effectively taken hostage” by the siege. 

Russia continues its advance along Ukraine’s coastline, seizing port cities with relentless attacks and leaving ships carrying critical supplies stranded. A senior U.S. Department of Defense official said that Ukraine has been hit with roughly 670 missiles launched from Russia, Belarus, the Black Sea, and inside of Ukraine. Meanwhile, the number of fleeing refugees has reached two million.

The Institute of the Study of War, continues to provide updated maps that shows where Russia has advanced, revealing that Russia is focusing on surrounding major cities throughout the country.

Another evacuation did prove successful. Around 5,000 civilians, including 1,700 foreign students, were able to escape to safety via a safe corridor leading out of the Sumy. The besieged northeastern city of a quarter-million people has been heavily hit by Russian forces. Overnight, 21 people, including two children, were killed in strikes.

U.S. intelligence: Putin ‘unlikely to be deterred’

As Russian President Vladimir Putin faces heavy troop losses and punishing international sanctions, U.S. intelligence officials are warning that he is “unlikely to be deterred by such setbacks and instead may escalate” his assault on Ukraine. Analysts estimate that between 2,000 to 4,000 Russian troops have been killed so far and said Russian citizens are already experiencing hardships from sanctions, but Putin appears to be intensifying the brutality of his military campaign. 

Pentagon: Poland’s plan to supply Ukraine with fighter jets through U.S. is not ‘tenable’

The Pentagon appears to have been taken off guard by Poland’s offer to give Ukraine all of its MiG-29 fighter jets through an unusual arrangement. Instead of giving the MiGs directly to Ukraine, Polish officials proposed sending them through the U.S. Ramstein Air Base in Germany, leading to speculation that they had hoped to minimize their involvement out of fear of retaliation from Russia. Pentagon Press Secretary John Kirby, however, said the plan is not “tenable” and poses serious concerns for NATO, adding that the U.S. will further discuss the matter with Poland.

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