Ukraine's Mariupol, after being besieged by Russian forces, faces 'dire' conditions: UN rights chief

By Peter Kenny

GENEVA (AA) - The UN human rights chief said at a special council session on Thursday that Ukraine's Mariupol city, after besieged by Russian forces, is in a "dire" situation, and residents face the risks of infections and diseases, including cholera.

Michelle Bachelet spoke after a UN Human Rights Council Resolution adopted at a special session on May 12 on "the grave human rights and humanitarian situation in Mariupol."

She said that due to the security situation there, her office had no access to the territory under the control of the Russian armed forces and affiliated armed groups, including access to Mariupol in southern Ukraine.

However, her team had spoken directly with people who left the city, communicating remotely with people who remained, collecting and analyzing publicly available information, and using satellite imagery.

"The shelling has now faded. But a shattered and depleted city is left, with its remaining residents struggling daily with limited access to basic utilities and social services, such as medical care," said Bachelet.

"Risks of infectious disease, including cholera, are being reported. Many people either no longer have a place to live or live in damaged apartments, often with no windows, electricity, gas, and running water."

The UN rights chief said Mariupol was likely the deadliest place in Ukraine between February and the end of April.

- Death and injury

"The intensity and extent of hostilities, destruction, and death and injury strongly suggest that serious violations of international humanitarian law and gross violations of international human rights law have occurred," said Bachelet.

Over 600 people were evacuated from the Azovstal steel plant due to mediation efforts of the UN secretary-general and others, soon after which the siege ended.

On April 30, Russian armed forces assumed complete control over Mariupol, except for the Azovstal plant area.

The UN assesses that up to 90% of the city's residential buildings have been damaged or destroyed and up to 60% of private houses.

An estimated 350,000 people were forced to leave the city.

"The humanitarian situation is devastating, with civilians continuing to bear the brunt of this conflict," said the UN high commissioner.

"A Russian air attack on the Mariupol drama theatre on 16 March stands out among the deadliest and most emblematic examples of the harm caused to civilians," noted Bachelet.

"The theater had hundreds of civilians hiding inside with signs clearly marked 'children,' visible from the sky."

She said that from the first week of March, hostilities in the Mariupol urban area were characterized by the extensive use of weapons with wide-area effects, including shelling from tanks and heavy artillery, multiple launch rocket systems, missiles, and air strikes.

To date, the human rights office has verified 1,348 individual civilian deaths directly in hostilities in Mariupol, including 70 children.

"These deaths were caused by air strikes, tank and artillery shelling, and small arms and light weapons during street fighting. The actual death toll of hostilities on civilians is likely thousands higher," said Bachelet.

She said bodies had been found in improvised individual or collective graves in yards, streets, and parks, in unattended houses, and apartments.

"Many are still to be buried," said Bachelet.

The UN office also said Russia has taken more than 2,000 Ukrainian soldiers as prisoners of war from Mariupol since early March.