200 bodies found in basement of bombed building in Mariupol

Around 200 decomposing bodies were found in the basement of a bombed building in Mariupol, in one of the latest discoveries of mass killings since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, authorities reported on Tuesday. 

Another mass grave in #Mariupol - about 200 bodies were found in a residential building basement, - advisor to Mariupol mayor.
russians tried to force locals to take them out, and when they refused, the grave site was simply abandoned.#UkraineUnderAttack #RussianWarCrimes pic.twitter.com/uMhSQJv7RO

— Anton Gerashchenko (@Gerashchenko_en) May 24, 2022

According to Mayoral Adviser Petro Andryushchenk, Russian forces had demanded that local residents to collect the bodies, but they refused. Therefore, Russia’s Ministry of Emergencies decided to leave the bodies there.

The mayor added that the odor from the decomposing bodies had spread around the neighborhood. However, he did not specify when the bodies were found. 

During the clearing of the debris of a high-rise building, in the basement, about 200 bodies of already decomposed dead have been found, - Adviser to the mayor of Mariupol pic.twitter.com/KFSCrC4Dem

— Stratcom Centre UA (@StratcomCentre) May 24, 2022

Russia took control of the devasted city of Mariupol last week after some 2,500 Ukrainian forces abandoned a steel plant that was their last stand. Russian forces had already taken possession of the rest of the city.

The place some 450,000 people used to call home was left in ruins after almost three months of Russian missile attacks and a month-long siege. Around 100,000 people remain in the city. During the siege, many of them were trapped with little food, heat, electricity, and water.

Mariupol's Peace Avenue before the arrival of Russia's military, and after.
Source: https://t.co/BRDopkImyt pic.twitter.com/SRyyAOzIHW

— Matthew Luxmoore (@mjluxmoore) May 24, 2022

According to Mayor Vadym Boychenko, thousands of civilians have been killed in the coastal city. At least 21,000 were killed throughout the siege. 

Ukrainian authorities claim Russian forces tried to cover up the extent of the atrocities by burying the dead in mass graves or using mobile cremation equipment. 

The Russian airstrikes on the city hit several locations where civilians were taking shelter, including a maternity hospital and a theater. Around 600 people are thought to have died in the theater attack, according to The Associated Press.

"Indeed, there has not been such a war on the European continent for 77 years," President Volodymyr Zelensky said, referring to the end of World War II.