Russia Bombs Mariupol Art School Sheltering 400 Civilians, Ukraine Claims

An art school sheltering 400 civilians in the city of Mariupol has been hit by Russian bombs, according to local authorities.

A statement was posted to the city's Telegram channels that claimed women, children and elderly people were inside the art school in the Left Bank district and could be 'still under the rubble', these claims have not yet been independently verified.

The news comes today, March 20, and follows the bombing of a theatre in Mariupol on Wednesday, March 16.

In a video address to his nation, Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing war crimes.

In a late night broadcast, the president said of the siege in Mariupol,'To do this to a peaceful city, what the occupiers did, is a terror that will be remembered for centuries to come'.

Mariupol is a strategic port on the Azov Sea and has faced heavy bombardment in recent days.

Local authorities said the attack on the city has killed at least 2,300 so far, with some being buried in mass graves.

Zelenskyy said in an earlier address relating to the theatre bombing that his 'heart breaks from what Russia is doing to our people, to our Mariupol'.

Mariupol police officer Michail Vershnin said of the siege on the city, 'Children, elderly people are dying. The city is destroyed and it is wiped off the face of the earth', the Independent reports.

A maternity and children's hospital was also bombed in the city, where 500 people were held hostage.

Following this, Russia's President Vladimir Putin was officially declared a 'war criminal' after a vote from the US senate.

Led by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham, the unanimous resolution was passed.

Russia has denied bombing the theatre and any other residential areas in the city.

In a statement prior to the vote, Chuck Schumer, the Democratic Senate majority leader said: 'All of us in this chamber joined together, with Democrats and Republicans, to say that Vladimir Putin cannot escape accountability for the atrocities committed against the Ukrainian people.'

War crimes are defined and outlined by the Geneva Conventions, but there is 'no one single document in international law that codifies all war crimes', though it does include intentionally directing attacks against civilians, according to the UN.

Russia has denied the attack on Mariupol's theatre or any other residential areas.

If you would like to donate to the Red Cross Emergency Appeal, which will help provide food, medicines and basic medical supplies, shelter and water to those in Ukraine, click here for more information