According to The Associated Press, the city’s government released the death toll Friday, nine days after the March 16 strike on the building. The Ukrainian Parliament’s human rights commissioner, Ludmyla Denisova, previously said more than 1,300 people had been taking shelter inside, the AP reported.
A massive inscription of the word “CHILDREN” in Russian, designed to be visible from the sky, appeared outside the theater on the day of the attack, according to the news agency.
Mariupol officials cited eyewitness reports when it revealed the number of people killed, according to the AP. Officials did not say how the witnesses had determined the death toll.
On Wednesday, the United Nations estimated that 977 civilians have died since Russian troops first invaded Ukraine on Feb. 24; however, the death toll is likely much higher, according to The Washington Post. Meanwhile, a NATO military official told the newspaper that as many as 15,000 Russian troops have died so far.
On March 12, Ukraine President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said about 1,300 Ukrainian troops have died, the Post reported. The newspaper said it was not able to independently verify that estimate.
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says Before and after satellite imagery of the Mariupol Drama Theater from March 14, 2022, and March 19. Notably, on the March 14 satellite imagery, the word children is written in large white letters (in Russian) in front of and behind the theater. (Satellite image (c) 2022 Maxar Technologies via DigitalGlobe/Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says A view of destroyed theater hall, which was used as a shelter by civilians, after Russian bombardment in Mariupol, Ukraine on March 18, 2022. (UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says Maxar collected satellite imagery of Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 14, 2022, that included the Mariupol Drama Theater, which was bombed on March 16. (Satellite image (c) 2022 Maxar Technologies via DigitalGlobe/Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says A view of destroyed theater hall, which was used as a shelter by civilians, after Russian bombardment in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 18, 2022. (UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says A view of destroyed theater hall, which was used as a shelter by civilians, after Russian bombardment in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 18, 2022. (UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says A view of destroyed theater hall, which was used as a shelter by civilians, after Russian bombardment in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 18, 2022. (UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says A view of destroyed theater hall, which was used as a shelter by civilians, after Russian bombardment in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 18, 2022. (UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says A view of destroyed theater hall, which was used as a shelter by civilians, after Russian bombardment in Mariupol, Ukraine, on March 18, 2022. (UKRAINIAN INTERIOR MINISTRY/Anadolu Agency via Getty Images)
Photos: Russian airstrike on Mariupol theater killed 300, city says Maxar satellite imagery of the Mariupol, Ukraine, theater and surrounding area. (Satellite image (c) 2022 Maxar Technologies via DigitalGlobe/Getty Images)
