Russian destruction of Mariupol detailed in new report calling for Putin war crime charges

Amna Nawaz:

One of the most brutal Russian attacks against Ukraine took place in Mariupol two years ago.

Today, Human Rights Watch, in collaboration with two other organizations, released a report detailing what happened and who in Russia was responsible.

Nick Schifrin is back with this report. And a warning: Some of the images in this report are disturbing.

Nick Schifrin:

They made a desert in called it peace. Mariupol is the crucible of Russian cruelty and the symbol of Ukrainian sacrifice.

Russia's bombardment defiled the city named for the Virgin Mary and reduced it to dust and debris. It stole dignity from the dead, mass graves, roadside burials, a city steeped in sorrow, where fathers waited for the unspeakable and the victims were the most vulnerable, killing even those who had never lived.

Ida Sawyer, Human Rights Watch:

This operation really stands out as one of the worst chapters of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine so far.

Nick Schifrin:

Ida Sawyer is the crisis and conflict director at Human Rights Watch and one of the lead authors on today's report, in collaboration with digital investigations team SITU Research and the Ukrainian research group Truth Hounds.

Ida Sawyer:

This research was incredibly difficult, given that the city is still under Russian occupation. So we had to rely on interviewing people once they were able to escape and then corroborate that with our photo, video, satellite imagery analysis.

Nick Schifrin:

Nowhere is Mariupol's suffering more visible than in the city's cemeteries. The report examined five sites, counted individual graves, and mapped newly dug graves in red, to conclude the Russian campaign killed at least 8,000 people.

Ida Sawyer:

But we recognize that this is likely a significant underestimate, given that some of the graves may have contained multiple bodies. Some of those buried in makeshift graves may have never been transferred. The remains of others might be still in the rubble.

The numbers that we came to are already horrifically high, but really just the minimum.

Nick Schifrin:

The report also documents the depth of Russia's destruction, 93 percent of all high-rises, in red, damaged in the city center, 86 of 89 schools and universities, all of Mariupol's 19 hospitals.

Ida Sawyer:

In these attacks, we did not find evidence of Ukrainian military presence or very limited Ukrainian military presence that would not have justified these attacks on civilian targets. These attacks were apparently unlawful and may amount to war crimes.

Nick Schifrin:

War crimes committed by 10 specific officials, starting with President Vladimir Putin, Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu,.

But also, using social media posts, local obituaries, and awards ceremonies, the report identifies military units that destroyed Mariupol.

Ida Sawyer:

We are calling for these 10 individuals and potentially other commanders of the 17 units we have identified to be investigated and appropriately prosecuted.

Dennis Shirtov, Ukraine:

So, we're left without gas, without water, without power, so we are absolutely isolated from civilization, no Internet, no update, nothing.

Nick Schifrin:

The report features survivors such as Dennis Shirtov (ph), who filmed his open-air kitchen and the destruction of everything he had ever built.

Dennis Shirtov:

Look around. What is going on? What's happening in Mariupol? He completely destroyed it, completely gone.

Nick Schifrin:

And Mikhail Poroshev (ph), who filmed his descent into the heart of darkness. He emerged to horror.

There's no happy ending here. The report finds that Russian occupation forces are erasing their own crimes and Mariupol's Ukrainian culture.

Ida Sawyer:

They're enforcing a Russian school curriculum, and they're also requiring residents to obtain Russian passports to be eligible for certain jobs, to get social welfare payments, or to have access to health care.

Nick Schifrin:

Today in Kyiv, Mariupol's chamber orchestra played at the report launch. The authors hope they help find justice and ensure that what's been lost is not forgotten.

For the "PBS NewsHour," I'm Nick Schifrin.