Ukraine’s Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said the heartbreaking situation in Mariupol is the “biggest humanitarian catastrophe” of the century.
Russia’s attack on Ukraine continues after Vladimir Putin ordered a large-scale invasion on Feb. 24 using land, air, and naval forces.
Speaking at a press conference in Washington on Friday, Shmyhal said thousands of people died in Mariupol as a result of the violent attacks from Russian troops.
“The situation in Mariupol is terrible. This is the biggest humanitarian catastrophe during this and maybe during the last centuries, because many thousands of people have died in Mariupol,” he said.
“We will see the terrible atrocities when it will be liberated from Russians,” Shmyhal added.
He added that Russian troops are “absolutely destroying everything,” including shelters where civilians are staying.
An estimated 100,000 people are still trapped in Mariupol since it was surrounded by Russian forces on March 1, according to Ukrainian officials.
Local officials claim that more than 20,000 people in the city have died as a result of the shelling and attacks taking place.
“This is a war of the Russian army against our Ukrainian civilians, against Ukrainians,” Shmyhal said. “We would like to finish this war. This is our position. We are fighting for our freedom, for democracy and for our territories.”
“But Russia is fighting to conquer us, to make a genocide of Ukrainian people, so they should stop. And we agreed and we want stop this war.”
Satellite images released Thursday showed what appeared to be mass graves near Mariupol.
As many as 9,000 Ukraine civilians could have been executed by Russian forces and buried in mass graves outside Mariupol, according to local leaders.
Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boychenko accused Russian invaders of “hiding their war crimes” by digging huge trenches near Manhush, 12 miles west of Mariupol, and disposing of bodies there.