War

Human Rights Watch counts 8,000 dead in Mariupol over a year of war

The international human rights organisation Human Rights Watch has studied the course and consequences of the first year of the full-scale war with Russia for the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. The organisation published the results of the study in a report, reports

The report is based on nearly two years of research conducted by Human Rights Watch and the Ukrainian human rights organisation Truth Hounds, as well as 3D reconstructions and visual and spatial analysis by SITU Research. Human rights activists interviewed 240 people, mostly residents of Mariupol, and reviewed and analysed dozens of satellite images and more than 850 photos and videos.

“Our research has shown that thousands of civilians died during the Russian siege and in the months that followed. Our assessment of satellite imagery and analysis of photographs and videos of the city’s cemeteries, which show a significant increase in the number of graves, indicates that between March 2022 and February 2023, more than 10,000 people were buried in Mariupol, of whom we estimate that at least 8,000 likely died from war-related causes, whether from direct attacks or lack of medical care or clean water,” the report says,

– the report says.

At the same time, human rights activists agree that this figure may be a gross underestimate, as the graves were often mass graves, reburials to official cemeteries were often not carried out, and no one knows how many people were buried under the rubble and how many bodies were taken outside the city.

According to the organisation, 93 per cent of buildings in the city were damaged.

“As of mid-May 2022, 93 per cent of the 477 multi-storey buildings in the central part of the city were damaged. All 19 hospital campuses across the city were damaged, as were 86 of 89 educational institutions,”

– hRW reports.

The organisation has also documented cases of Russian attacks on targets such as hospitals, the city’s famous drama theatre, a food warehouse, an aid distribution centre, a supermarket and residential buildings that served as shelters.

“In each of these incidents, we found no evidence of Ukrainian military presence in or near the shelled building. Or we found a limited military presence, which likely made the attack unlawfully disproportionate,”

– the report says.

The siege of Maruipol

The battle for Mariupol and the subsequent siege of the city began on the first day of the full-scale Russian invasion, 24 February 2022, and lasted until 20 May 2022, when the last defenders of the city were withdrawn from the Azovstal plant. Thus, the city’s defence lasted 86 days, 82 of which were completely surrounded by Russian troops.

Estimates of the number of civilians killed in Mariupol vary widely. For example, according to CNN, in April 2022, Ukrainian officials reported 20,000 deaths as of that date.