A mosque in the besieged port city Mariupol, where 80 adults and children were taking shelter has been been shelled by Russian troops, the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Saturday. Turkish citizens were also among those who had taken refuge.

“The mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxolana [Hurrem Sultan] in Mariupol was shelled by Russian invaders,” the Ukrainian foreign ministry said on Twitter.

No injuries or casualties were reported immediately.

On February 24, Russian President Vladimir Putin launched the invasion of Ukraine. The conflict has forced more than 2.5 million people to flee Ukraine so far.

Advertisement

Mariupol’s city council said on Friday that at least 1,582 civilians had been killed due to Russian shelling and a 12-day blockade, according to Reuters. Though, those figures have not been independently verified.

Fighting continues near Kyiv

Meanwhile, close to the Ukrainian capital, Russian forces were 25 km from the centre of Kyiv as fighting continued on Saturday, reported Reuters. Several other cities had also been encircled and being shelled heavily.

Two oil depots outside Kyiv had also caught fire after Russian strikes, The Guardian reported, citing local Ukrainian media. One of the depots was in the town of Vasylkiv, 36 km from the capital. It also houses a major air base.

Advertisement

Iryna Vereshchuk, the deputy prime minister, said she hoped that humanitarian corridors are opened on Saturday, allowing for the evacuation of citizens from Mariupol and other cities under attack.

Ukrainian defence officials, too, warned of Russian forces encircling the capital, according to The Guardian. Mykhailo Podolyak, the Ukrainian presidential adviser, said Kyiv was “ready to fight”.

“Kyiv will stand until the end,” Podolyak added.

A convoy of Russian forces near Kyiv had begun regrouping again, Reuters reported on Friday, citing satellite images. Britain on Friday predicted a Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital within days.