Mariupol: A city decimated, but not giving up

Over the past week, tens of thousands of people have been daily fleeing the devastated city of Mariupol in seemingly endless numbers. Since the beginning of the war, the strategically important southern port city has faced heavy bombardment and missile strikes, including on civilian targets. According to Russian figures, 130,000 of the approximately 440,000 inhabitants remain in the city.

After almost four weeks of shelling, the besieged city has become almost uninhabitable. According to the city administration, 80% of the apartments have been destroyed. Many images from Mariupol show ruined or burned-out residential buildings, like this image from the Russian state news agency, Tass.

Russia's attacks on Ukrainian civilians have prompted several Western politicians to speak of Russian "war crimes." Among them are German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock and European Union foreign affairs envoy Josep Borrell. Borrell said Russia was destroying Ukraine without any respect for the rules of war.

Russia claims that it is attacking only strategic and military targets. It has blamed a Ukrainian militia unit called the Azov Batallion, which includes far-right nationalist extremists, for the bombing of the Mariupol theater. Hundreds of people survived the attack, having sheltered in the air-raid bunker underneath the theater, pictured in ruins above.

Pro-Russian separatists, who also control the neighboring Donetsk region in eastern Ukraine, are monitoring escape routes. They are only open to unarmed civilians who want to leave the besieged city.

This photo, released by the Russian state agency Tass, claims to show people evacuated from Mariupol in a makeshift camp in Russian-occupied Donetsk. Russia says it wants to provide protection for Ukrainian refugees. The Mariupol City Council, on the other hand, accuses Russia of allowing Russian separatists to forcibly take thousands of Ukrainians to Russia.

Many residents have fled to the city of Zaporizhzhia, where the injured are being treated. The bombardment of hospitals in Mariupol has made accessing emergency medical aid nearly impossible. Two weeks ago, a brief fire at Europe's largest nuclear power plant in Zaporizhzhia after a missile strike raised alarm bells. Apart from that, the city of 750,000 has so far largely escaped the fighting.

This teenager, who fled from Mariupol to Lviv in western Ukraine, is being received by his mother. The Russian army has already shelled Lviv as well. For many refugees, Lviv has become a final stopover on the way to neighboring European countries.

Mariupol isn't the only Ukrainian city to be pummeled by Russian attacks. In northern and eastern Ukraine, rockets and artillery shells have continued hitting major cities such as Sumy, Kharkiv and the capital Kyiv. This photo shows the remains of a Kyiv shopping center after it was targeted by Russian strikes. Four people were killed in the attack, according to local media.

On Sunday, Russia had given Ukraine an ultimatum to surrender Mariupol by Monday afternoon. Ukraine rejected the demand. Instead, thousands of civilians again left the city, which the Ukrainian government says is under continuous fire. According to Russian separatist leader Denis Pushilin, the battle for Mariupol could last weeks longer.