Russian forces take photojournalists into the destroyed Mariupol theater where hundreds were believed killed.
Russian soldiers took independent photographers through the ruins of a theater in Mariupol where hundreds of civilians are believed to have been killed in mid-March when it was destroyed by a Russian airstrike.
The outing was organized by Russian forces, who let the photojournalists take pictures on Tuesday as the soldiers toured the theater in central Mariupol, walking up the once-grand staircase in the center of the building. The photos provide one of the clearest depictions yet of the destruction of the building, which had horrified the international community.
Hundreds of people were using the theater as a bomb shelter when it was destroyed on March 16. The word “children” had been written in Russian on the pavement outside in large white letters, as seen on satellite images taken in the days before the strike, to signal that children were among those sheltering inside.
It is still not clear how many people were in the theater’s basement when the building was destroyed, but city officials estimate around 300 people died. At least 130 survived after being pulled from the rubble.
In the weeks since the strike, survivors have recalled the horror of that day. One family that survived the bombing of the theater described to The New York Times how they had sheltered in the basement of the building for days before the airstrike. Then the walls fell in around them.
The city of Mariupol has been under bombardment by Russian forces since the start of the war. It is a strategically important port on the Sea of Azov, located between Russian-held regions in the east and Russian-annexed Crimea to its southwest.
In recent days, Russian troops appear to have made significant gains in the center of the city, where the theater is, military analysts, say. But Ukrainian forces say they are still holding other neighborhoods.
On Tuesday, Pytor Andryushchenko, an adviser to the city government, said it was difficult for officials to get a clear grasp of the number of civilians killed during the siege. For several weeks, Mariupol officials have been forced to base themselves in Zaporizhzhia, a city 140 miles to the northwest.
“We think now that in Mariupol, a minimum of 10,000 people have died,” he said, adding that the number is “likely much higher.”
But, he added, because of the volatile situation in the country, officials have yet to be able to do a count.
The living conditions for residents still trapped in the city have grown direr every day, Mr. Andryushchenko said.
The last functioning hospital was evacuated last week, and the doctors and staff were taken into Russian-controlled territory, raising concerns for the sick and wounded in Mariupol, he said. Covid is still rampant in the city, and other illnesses are spreading because of the difficult living conditions.
“Our people are in a very dangerous situation, many people are ill, are cold in basements, and can’t get any medical help,” he said.
The World Bank is preparing to deliver $1.5 billion in aid to Ukraine to help the country maintain government operations amid Russia’s offensive, David R. Malpass, the World Bank president, said on Tuesday.
The funds were approved this week by the International Development Association, the arm of the World Bank that provides grants and loans to the world’s poorest countries. The bank has also been working to provide aid to hospital workers and the elderly in Ukraine and to support refugees. It has committed to helping Ukraine rebuild after the war.
“The World Bank was created in 1944 to help Europe rebuild after World War II,” Mr. Malpass said during a speech at the Warsaw School of Economics in Poland. “As we did then, we will be ready to help Ukraine with reconstruction when the time comes.”
The World Bank has already started to disburse nearly $1 billion of aid that was previously approved. The additional $1.5 billion will need final approval in the coming weeks from the bank’s board of directors, a World Bank spokeswoman said.
The comments came ahead of the spring meetings of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund in Washington next week.
Mr. Malpass said the war in Ukraine had darkened the outlook for the global economy, which had already been coping with high inflation and disrupted supply chains because of the pandemic.
“We are again living through a dangerous period of overlapping crises and conflicts,” Mr. Malpass said.
He lamented that real median incomes were stagnant around the world and that poverty was projected to increase this year because of inflation, currency depreciation, and high food prices. Developing countries, he said, are bearing the brunt of the economic pain because of their limited financial resources.
