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The mayor of Ukraine’s port city, Mariupol, says more than 10,000 civilians have died since Russian forces besieged the city.
But, he adds that the real number of victims could be as much as double that figure. Vadym Boychenko accused Russian forces of burning the bodies of those killed, in an attempt to hide the evidence of the crimes.
Speaking by telephone to the Associated Press news agency, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko said the city streets were littered with corpses as a result of constant attacks by Russian forces from land, water and air.
“Thousands of victims were left on the streets, we could not remove them because Russian forces had entered the city and the urban war had begun. “There was no security and it was impossible.” he says.
The mayor spoke from a part of the territory controlled by Ukraine, outside Mariupol.
He said Russian forces brought mobile crematoria to the city to burn the bodies of those killed and eradicate evidence of crimes.
Mr. Boychenko added that the information about these claims has been confirmed by several sources, but did not give more details.
“We now understand why the Russian-occupied part of the city is closed. They are gathering troops in an attempt to hide evidence of crimes. We now know why they did not allow the entry of any humanitarian mission. They did not want to reveal what they did. “Thousands of residents have been killed on the streets of our city.” explains Mr. Boychenko.
Western powers say Russian forces are regrouping for a new offensive in eastern Ukraine.
The southeastern city of Mariupol has experienced some of the heaviest attacks and largest casualties among civilians in the six-week war. The constant attacks of Russian forces have made it difficult to gather information on the real situation inside the city.
Local authorities say more than 10,000 civilians have lost their lives since the fighting began, but the true figure is believed to be much higher./VOA
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