Mariupol suffers under Russian attacks

Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy shared a video on social media Wednesday showing a brightly painted hospital ward in shambles. A Russian strike hit a children’s and maternity facility in Mariupol, killing three and injuring at least 17 mothers and staff members. The city council said the damage to Mariupol is “colossal,” with women and children trapped under the wreckage. The World Health Organization said it confirmed 18 attacks on medical facilities since the Russian invasion began. UNICEF estimates at least 1 million children have fled the country in the last two weeks, making up roughly half of all Ukrainian refugees.

What about escape corridors? About 35,000 people evacuated from Sumy, the southern town of Enerhodar, and some suburbs in Kyiv on Wednesday. Ukrainian officials announced seven new corridors on Thursday. Previous evacuation corridors ended up getting shelled. Russian President Vladimir Putin blamed Ukrainian nationalists for disrupting the humanitarian operation. During the brief pause in shelling on Wednesday, local authorities in Mariupol hurriedly buried up to 70 people in a mass grave. There were no services held or mourners present.

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