‘Thousands’ Killed in Mariupol, Russia Afraid of World Finding Out: Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy says Russia blocking evacuation efforts as it wants to hide evidence of "thousands" killed in Mariupol.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

(Photo: Twitter/Володимир Зеленський)

After repeated failed evacuation efforts in Ukraine’s southern port city of Mariupol, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Wednesday, 6 April, that the reason behind Russia blocking humanitarian access was that it wants to hide evidence of "thousands" of people killed there.

Speaking to Turkey's Haberturk TV, Zelenskyy said, "The reason why we cannot get into Mariupol with the humanitarian cargo is precisely because they are afraid...that the world will see what is going on there," news agency AFP reported.

He added, "I think it's a tragedy there, it's hell, I know that it's not tens, but thousands of people, different people, who have been killed there and thousands wounded.”

This comes after global condemnation of the killings in Bucha, with even India finding the situation to be “deeply disturbing”, though it has not directly named Russia.

Meanwhile, Russia has denied allegations of having committed atrocities in the town outside Kyiv.

Stating that that Russia would not succeed in concealing all the evidence, Zelenskyy said, "They will not be able to hide all of this and bury all of these Ukrainians who died and who are injured. It's just such a number, it's thousands of people, it's impossible to hide."

Speaking on the Bucha killings, he informed on Wednesday:

"They burned families. Families. Yesterday we found again a new family: father, mother, two children. Little, little children, two. One was a little hand, you know… That's why I said 'they are Nazis'."

Despite the killings in Bucha and Ukraine’s allegation of Russia hiding its actions in Mariupol, he emphasised the need for peace talks, saying that "they will have to take place anyway…I think it is difficult to stop this war without it”.

(With inputs from AFP.)