Yahoo Movies Amnesty International Report Says Mariupol Theater Bombing Was a Deliberate 'War Crime'
Google Maps; UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images Mariupol Theater
The Russian attack of a theater in which an unknown number of Ukrainians were killed while seeking shelter in March was a clear war crime, according to a new report by human rights organization Amnesty International.
In March, it was reported that the Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theater in Mariupol, in which hundreds of Ukrainian residents were taking shelter, was bombed — even though the word "children" was written in Russian outside the building.
According to Amnesty International: "At the time of the attack, hundreds of civilians were in and around the theatre; many were killed. The theatre was clearly recognizable as a civilian object, perhaps more so than any other location in the city. The evidence Amnesty International has gathered demonstrates that the attack was a war crime."
The report adds that — despite Russia's insistence that the event was a false flag operation carried out by Ukraine itself — all evidence "indicates that the attack on the theatre was almost certainly an air strike carried out by the Russian military."
From the report: "Russian tactical fighter aircraft most likely attacked the theatre using two 500-kilogram bombs. Numerous survivors and witnesses reported hearing aircraft in the area immediately before the strike."
The reports adds that the damage produced by the explosion "is consistent with the detonation of two, but plausibly one, large aerial bombs, dropped at the same time, that struck close to one another within the envelope of the target."
A statement released by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine following the bombing said that the strike "demolished the central part of the theatre building, causing large numbers of people to be buried under the debris. The assessment of the exact number of persons affected is currently impossible due to ongoing shelling."
While early reports indicated that as many as 600 people may have died in the explosion, Amnesty International says the count is likely "much smaller than previously reported" but that it is "unclear precisely how many people were killed."
RELATED: Russian Troops Want to Conceal Bodies of More Than 10,000 Dead in Mariupol, Ukraine, Mayor Says
Survivors from the port city of Mariupol — which has been a central target for Russian aggression during the invasion of Ukraine — described the horrors of the war in interviews to The Washington Post in April, telling the outlet "everything" was destroyed.
Days after the theater bombing, the Associated Press reported that residents of Mariupol had begun burying their dead in a mass grave on the outskirts of the city.
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Russian military forces also severely damaged a children's hospital and maternity ward in Mariupol, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in a tweet last month, writing: "People, children are under the wreckage Atrocity!"
Russian President Vladimir Putin claimed that his forces had "liberated" the city, saying in public remarks, "the work of the armed forces to liberate Mariupol has been a success. Congratulations."
The Russian attack on Ukraine is an evolving story, with information changing quickly. Follow PEOPLE's complete coverage of the war here, including stories from citizens on the ground and ways to help.
