Nearly 5,000 people have been killed in the southern Ukrainian city of Mariupol since the beginning of its siege by Russian troops, Reuters reported, citing the city’s mayor’s spokesman. The spokesman cited City Hall data, according to which almost 90 percent of the buildings in Mariupol were damaged, and about 40 percent were completely destroyed.
More than 100 people have died in Kyiv since the start of the Russian invasion, city mayor Vitali Klitschko said today.
Speaking to members of the city council of Florence, Kyiv’s sister city, Klitschko said more than 20 bodies could not be identified, and four of the victims were children. Another 16 affected children are in the hospital, the mayor added.
The mayor of the Kiev suburb of Irpen that Ukrainian forces have regained full control over the city, which was the scene of one of the fiercest battles with Russian troops near the Ukrainian capital.
“Today we have good news – Irpin has been released,” the mayor of the city Alexander Markushin said in a video on Telegram. “We understand that attacks on our city will continue, and we will defend it courageously,” the mayor added.
Reuters is not yet able to confirm this information from independent sources.