Mariupol ‘doesn’t exist anymore’ after Russian shelling, says Ukraine foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba

Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol, under siege by Russian forces for weeks now, has been completely razed to the ground, foreign minister Dmytro Kuleba said on Sunday.

Speaking on CBS’ ‘Face the Nation’, the Ukrainian foreign minister said that Russian forces’ attempts to take the city at any cost had resulted in its complete destruction.

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“The city doesn’t exist anymore,” Kuleba said of Mariupol where a large group of civilian survivors and some Ukrainian defence forces remain, encircled by Moscow’s forces.

“They continue their struggle, but it seems from the way the Russian army behaves in Mariupol, they decided to raze the city to the ground at any cost,” the 40-year-old added.

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Indeed, the siege of Mariupol has gone on for over seven weeks now, and incessant and indiscriminate Russian shelling has resulted in the death of at least 21,000 civilians by Ukrainian estimates. The actual death toll, however, may be much higher.

Additionally, of the estimated 100,000 civilians who still remain in the city out of its original population of 450,000, most are without access to safe water or electricity. Thousands also lack access to medication, with Russian shelling resulting in destruction or closure of hospitals and pharmacies in the city.

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In addition to providing an update on the hellish conditions in Mariupol, the Ukrainian foreign minister also said that he expected no end to the ongoing conflict any time soon, adding that an intensified Russian offensive and heavy fighting was expected to take place in the breakaway Donbas region in the east of Ukraine in the coming weeks.

Kuleba’s concerns were echoed by Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, who warned of an intensified Russian offensive on the Donbas as he vowed stiff resistance against the invaders.