Ukraine Theatre Housing Over 1,000 Bombed, Russia Denies Attack: 10 Facts
New Delhi: Ukraine has claimed Russia destroyed a theatre harbouring more than a thousand people in the besieged port city of Mariupol. Moscow denied targeting civilians and Russia’s defence ministry said its forces had not struck the building.
The UN’s top court, International Court of Justice (ICJ), on Wednesday ordered Russia to suspend its invasion of Ukraine, saying it was “profoundly concerned” by Moscow’s use of force.
The Russian Federation shall immediately suspend military operations that it commenced on 24 February on the territory of Ukraine,” pending the final decision in the case, presiding judge Joan Donoghue told the International Court of Justice, or ICJ.
International outrage against Moscow grew on Thursday after the alleged Russian attack on the theatre. “Today, the invaders destroyed the Drama Theatre. A place, where more than a thousand people found refuge. We will never forgive this,” the Mariupol local council said in a Telegram post.
Both Russia and Ukraine have continued talks to reach a negotiated settlement through the talks being held in Belarus. Ukraine has rejected proposals put forward by Russia to become a neutral country, like Austria or Sweden.
The US has establised the first high-level contact between the two countries since the invasion. US national security adviser Jake Sullivan spoke with Nikolay Patrushev, the secretary of Russia’s Security Council, in the first publicly disclosed contact and told the Russian leader that if Moscow is “serious about diplomacy then Moscow should stop attacking Ukrainian cities and towns,” the statement said.
