At least 8,000 people died in Mariupol from war-related causes - HRW

The international human rights organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) said this in a report posted on its website, Ukrinform reports.

The report is based on nearly two years of research conducted by Human Rights Watch and Truth Hounds, a leading Ukrainian human rights organization, as well as 3D reconstructions and visual and spatial analysis by SITU Research. The researchers interviewed 240 people, mostly displaced Mariupol residents, and reviewed and analyzed dozens of satellite images and over 850 photos and videos.

"Our assessment of satellite imagery and analysis of photos and videos of the city's cemeteries that saw a significant increase in the number of graves shows that more than 10,000 people were buried in Mariupol between March 2022 and February 2023, of whom we estimate at least 8,000 likely died from war-related causes, whether direct attacks or from lack of health care or clean water," the report said.

According to HRW, the total number of dead could be much higher, as many graves likely contained multiple bodies and the remains of others were likely buried in the rubble and taken away during demolition efforts. In addition, some of those buried in makeshift graves may never have been transferred to the bigger cemeteries, and others either died or were buried outside of Mariupol.

The researchers documented in detail 14 case studies covering 18 locations, many of which involved apparently unlawful Russian attacks, including attacks on two hospitals, the city's famous drama theater, a food storage facility, an aid distribution site, a supermarket, and residential buildings serving as shelters. Human Rights Watch and Truth Hounds found no evidence of a Ukrainian military presence in or near the building that was struck, which would have made the attack unlawfully indiscriminate.

A comprehensive building damage assessment found that, by mid-May 2022, 93 percent of the 477 multi-story apartment buildings in the central part of the city had been damaged. All 19 hospital campuses city-wide were damaged, and 86 of the 89 educational facilities that were identified across the city were also damaged.

According to Petro Andriushchenko, an adviser to the Mariupol mayor, as of May 2022, at least 22,000 people were known to have died in Mariupol.

Photo: AA