Mariupol mayor puts the number of dead at over 5,000

By ADAM SCHRECK and ANDREA ROSA
Associated Press

ANDRIIVKA, Ukraine (AP) — The mayor of the besieged Ukrainian city of Mariupol says over 5,000 civilians have been killed during the monthlong Russian blockade. Vadym Boichenko said Wednesday that 210 of the dead were children. He said the Russian forces bombed hospitals, including one where 50 people burned to death. Boichenko said that more than 90% of the city’s infrastructure has been destroyed by the Russian shelling. The Russian military has besieged the strategic Sea of Azov port, cutting food, water and energy supplies and pummeling it with artillery and air raids. Capturing the city would allow Russia to secure a continuous land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, which Russia seized from Ukraine in 2014.