Ukraine honors victims of Mariupol theater bombing by Russia, demands Russian accountability

Every Russian murderer must be held accountable for their crimes, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, marking the second anniversary of the Russian bombing of the Mariupol Drama Theater.

On 16 March 2022, Russian occupiers deliberately dropped two bombs on the building of the city’s theater despite the “Children” inscription written on the ground near it, killing nearly 600 civilians.

“Two years have passed since Mariupol. Drama Theater. The inscription ‘Children.’ The world must remember everything Russia has done against Ukraine and Ukrainians, and every Russian murderer must be held accountable. We will ensure their accountability,” said Zelenskyy.

The theater served as a humanitarian center that distributed food and water to Mariupol’s residents and was a designated gathering point for future evacuation. Ukrainians sought shelter there from continuous shelling and awaited evacuation.

“Any building, any walls or ceilings can be rebuilt. But human lives can never be restored. Children will never be able to embrace their parents again. Grandparents will never be able to visit their grandchildren. Unborn children will never come into the world,” said the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement, the ministry also claimed that Russia is a state terrorist that will never be able to evade punishment for crimes in Ukraine.

Read more: 

• “20 Days In Mariupol”: a leading contender at the Cinema Eye Awards
• Russian occupation authorities may leave residents of Mariupol without heating this winter, city council warns
• A little girl had to learn to walk again due to the stress she experienced during the Russian bombing of Mariupol
• Moscow to relocate 300,000 Russians to occupied Mariupol – Ukraine’s National Resistance Center