"Civilian Death Toll Reaches 2,500, City in Ruins"…Aerial View of Mariupol, Ukraine

Photo by Azov Battalion Twitter account capture

[Asia Economy Reporter Na Yeeun] As Russia intensively attacks the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, causing massive civilian casualties, a video showing the devastating scenes of Mariupol has been released.

On the 14th (local time), the Azov unit, a special forces unit of the Ukrainian National Defense Forces, released drone footage on social media capturing the shelled areas of Mariupol. It is unclear when the footage was taken.

The drone that filmed the video started flying over the western industrial area of Mariupol and headed north toward the Epicenter K shopping center. The drone flew over already destroyed apartment complexes and suddenly witnessed a large explosion. The footage showed the remains of the burned Epicenter K supermarket building.

The scene then shifted to show a mattress store and an area near apartment complexes, with views extending hundreds of kilometers north. The video captured flames rising toward the apartment complexes and the center of Mariupol, with thick black smoke billowing.

The Azov unit wrote on their official Twitter account, "This is the view of Mariupol from the sky today," adding, "The once beautiful city’s skies have been opened by enemy shells."

They continued, "Only death can stop the enemy pilots," stating, "They know civilian casualties will occur, yet they continue."

On the 9th (local time), the Mariupol Children's Hospital in Ukraine was destroyed by an airstrike. / Photo by Yonhap News

Meanwhile, as the Russian military siege of Mariupol enters its 14th day, the supply of drinking water, heating, and electricity in the area has already been cut off. The Mariupol City Council announced that more than 2,500 civilians have died due to Russian attacks, and over 100 bombs have been dropped as of this day.

The Mariupol region is considered strategically important to Russia because to the east there are pro-Moscow forces, and to the south it connects to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia annexed.

On the 9th, international condemnation intensified after a maternity hospital in Mariupol was destroyed by Russian shelling. Mariupol authorities stated that relief supply vehicles were deployed but could not enter due to the Russian military blockade.

Vadym Boychenko, mayor of Mariupol, condemned, "The Russian military continues to cynically, ruthlessly, and deliberately attack apartment buildings," adding, "Every 30 minutes, planes arrive over Mariupol city, killing civilians including the elderly, women, and children in residential areas."

Negotiations to establish humanitarian corridors for civilians to evacuate Mariupol had been ongoing but repeatedly failed. After negotiations on the 14th, about 160 private vehicles left Mariupol for the nearby city of Berdyansk for the first time.

Petro Andriushchenko, an aide to the mayor of Mariupol, said, "Civilians are evacuating through the humanitarian corridor along the Mariupol-Melekine-Portovske-Mangush-Berdyansk-Zaporizhzhia route." However, he added that the safety of this corridor cannot be guaranteed. Mariupol’s population is about 400,000, with roughly half reportedly willing to evacuate.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.