Russian forces killed 101 children in Mariupol during city siege last spring – mayor

The Mariupol resistance movement was able to get a hold of lists of children who were killed by Russian invaders in 2022. 

The Mariupol City Council said the Russian list confirms that 101 Mariupol children were killed, Rubryka reports.

Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko reported that the list of the occupiers includes 101 children, of which 87 are identifiable. The data obtained allowed the authorities to verify the number of children killed during the siege of Mariupol last spring.

"A terrible number. Unfortunately, we understand that this number may be bigger. This is terrible information, and the whole civilized world should know what tragedy Russia has brought to Ukraine and our Ukrainian Mariupol. But the world should not only know, but together with us, we should ensure that every war criminal receives a fair punishment," said Boichenko.

Thanks to the Mariupol resistance, it was possible to obtain a list of killed children in the eastern Donetsk region for 2022. Mariupol children went through registration in the morgues of the temporarily occupied: Mariupol, Manhush, and Novoazovsk. Data confirmed by the Russian occupiers are ten children killed in Mariupol during the relentless bombing of the city by the Russian forces from February 24 to May 20.

"We publish part of these documents, both the terms of the law on the protection of personal data), understanding the importance of the information, but we do not recommend reading them to susceptible people. Each item is a terrible human tragedy. Some on this list were not even a year old. We will never forgive. We will not calm down until every Russian war criminal is punished for the evil they brought to our land," the Mariupol City Council added.

According to the mayor of Mariupol, to achieve justice, the city council will collect documents confirming the aforementioned terrible fact and will contact law enforcement agencies to enter data into the Unified Register of Pretrial Investigations to bring criminals to criminal responsibility.

Background

In March of last year, the Russian military committed one of the most terrible crimes of this war. Russian bombs destroyed a theater in Mariupol, which was used as a shelter. The word "CHILDREN" was written in large letters on the asphalt near the theater. The exact number of victims is unknown. It may reach up to 600 people, including children.

Rubryka previously reported that the missing 12-year-old girl Iryna Hubarieva, who was being searched near Mariupol, was found dead: the Russian invader may be to blame for the child's death.