Russia Broadens Mariupol Assault as Signs of Stalemate Take Shape
Firing rockets and bombs from the land, air and warships in the Sea of Azov, Russian forces broadened their bombardment of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Sunday and have forcibly deported thousands of residents, according to city officials and witnesses.
Among the freshly devastated was an art school, where about 400 residents were hiding, according to city officials who claimed it had been bombed by Russian forces targeting civilians. The number of casualties was not known.
Into the fourth week of the Russian assault on Ukraine, the strategic port that would give Russia control over much of the southern coast has become a grim symbol of Russian frustration that its superior manpower and weaponry have not forced the quick capitulation of Ukraine. It has also come to symbolize Russia’s brutality, as its forces target civilian sites with long-range missiles to crush the public’s spirit and break the military resistance.