Ukraine war devastates thousands of lives as the cost of the war is now revealed in Mariupol and Kharkiv. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky says Russian attacks have left “tens of thousands of dead”.
“[Mariupol] has been blocked by Russian troops since March 1. It was a city of half a million. Half a million people. The occupiers blocked it and did not even allow food and water to be brought there,” he said, adding:
They tried to capture it in the most brutal way — just to destroy everything in the city. Mariupol is destroyed. There are tens of thousands of dead. But even so, the Russians are not stopping the offensive. They want to make Mariupol a showcase of a ruined city.
“It is a humanitarian catastrophe. The military that was involved in active hostilities here is completely surrounded. There are supply problems with water, food, medication, and general supply. It’s a very difficult situation,” said Serhiy Volyna, deputy commander of the Marine Battalion in Mariupol.
The head of the Kharkiv regional military administration, Oleh Syniehubov reports continuous shelling.
“Last night there were about 66 reports of shelling from Grad and Smerch multiple rocket launchers, artillery, and tanks,” Syniehubov said. “The battles were fought in Zolochiv district, that is in the direction of Derhachiv. Residential areas [of Kharkiv], residential districts of Pyatihatky, Saltivka, Oleksiyivka, the Kharkiv Tractor Plant, and Kholodna Hora were affected again.”
Among the casualties was a seven-year-old child. There were also about 14 people injured and around two thousand houses destroyed.
“We plan to sow 60-80% of the arable land in the Kharkiv region,” he said. “It depends on the military situation. In some places, the fields are mined … The arable land was damaged by explosions.”