Russia Bombs Art School Housing 400 Civilians in Besieged City of Mariupol

An art school being used as a bomb shelter in the once-vibrant seaside Ukrainian town of Mariupol has been flattened in the latest relentless Russian strikes against civilian targets.

It is unclear if any of the 400 people thought to be sheltering in the G12 Art School survived, according to the Mariupol city council in a statement on its Telegram channel early Sunday.

The new attack comes as rescue workers continue to reach the more than 1,300 people thought to be trapped in a bomb shelter under the Drama theater across town, which was destroyed in an attack earlier in the week. Continued shelling on the city have hindered rescue efforts and it is unclear if any one who may have survived the original impact is still alive under the considerable rubble.

Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zenelensky said the attacks against Mariupol, which now include the art school, theater, and a maternity hospital, will “go down in history of responsibility for war crimes.” In a statement released early Sunday he said, “To do this to a peaceful city, what the occupiers did, is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come.”

The latest attacks are part of an ongoing effort by Russian forces to secure the vital port city of Mariupol, which has not had electricity, water or sewage service for several weeks. Mariupol remains one of the most important cities on Russia’s radar because it would provide a crucial land link between Crimea and the Russian-backed regions of Luhansk and Donetsk. Currently the two regions are joined only by Azov sea. Local authorities say 2,300 people have been killed in the city since Russia invaded last month. Many were dumped into hastily dug mass graves.