Ukrainian NGO unveils website probing Mariupol Drama Theater attack, collecting evidence of Russian war crime

The Center for Spatial Technologies (CST) has launched a website containing research on the Russian attack on the Mariupol Drama Theater on March 16, 2022.

The platform collects evidence to prove this Russian war crime, Rubryka reports, citing the Mariupol City Council.

What's the problem?

On the morning of February 24, 2022, Mariupol was one of the first cities hit by invasion and immediately became a priority target for Russian forces. The defense of Mariupol lasted for 86 days, from February 24 to May 20, 2022.

The city council stressed that the Russians are trying to cover up the consequences of the theater bombing on March 16, 2022. Initially, they surrounded the theater with a construction curtain and are now dismantling the building.

What's the solution?

The Ukrainian independent organization CST has launched the "Spatial Archive" website with research on the attack, collecting photos, videos, and satellite images proving the Russian war crime.

The archive also includes social media posts about the Drama Theater tragedy and conversations with witnesses of the Russian invaders destroying the building where hundreds of Mariupol residents were hiding during air raids.

How does it work?

The "Spatial Archive" includes ten video interviews with witnesses of the explosion, diagrams, visualizations, and 3D models that provide a spatial dimension to the research results.

The website presents three research texts with the investigation results, which tell about the role of the theater as a shelter and analyze the consequences of the attack.

According to the project organizers, the research materials are an important historical document proving this Russian war crime.

As Ukrinform reported, by dropping two air bombs on the Mariupol Drama Theater, the Russians committed one of the most horrific crimes that cannot be forgotten or forgiven.

Rubryka previously reported that the Deputy Chair of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, Yulia Fedosiuk, launched an English-language website monitoring Russian war crimes in Mariupol and toward Azov Regiment captives.

Also, Rubryka reported that the "Mariupol Reborn" presented a photo exhibition by Mariupol photographer and researcher of Russian crimes against Ukrainians Ivan Stanislavsky, "Handle with Care!"

A chronicle shedding light on each of the 86 days of the defense of Mariupol was presented in Kyiv. It was created by the Big City Lab and the National Museum of Ukrainian History with the support of Mariupol Reborn.

↓Read more:

"I wish I had never made this film": why you need to see "20 Days in Mariupol" that won Ukraine's first-ever Oscar