Mariupol theatre airstrike

Bombing during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Mariupol theatre airstrike

Part of the siege of Mariupol during the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Damage to the theatre after the airstrike

Location| Donetsk Regional Drama Theatre
Mariupol, Ukraine
Date| 16 March 2022 (2022-03-16) (UTC+3)
Target| Civilians using the theatre as an air raid shelter

Attack type

| Airstrike
Deaths| Estimates range from 12[1] to over 600[2]
Perpetrators|  Russian Armed Forces (denied by Russia)

* v
* t
* e

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Timeline

*     * February – April 2022
* April – August 2022
* August – November 2022
* November 2022 – June 2023
* June – August 2023
* September – November 2023
* December 2023 – March 2024
* April – July 2024
* August – December 2024
* January 2025 – May 2025
* June 2025 – present

* * *

* Prelude
* Casualties
* Territorial control
* map
* List of engagements
* War crimes
* Attacks on civilians
* Economic impact
* Peace negotiations
* Collaboration with Russia
* Russian emigration
* Nuclear risk
* Humanitarian impacts
* Russian annexation
* Treatment of prisoners of war

2022–23 campaign

Northern front

* Antonov Airport
* Chernobyl
* Hostomel
* Kyiv
* Bucha
* massacre
* Irpin
* Makariv
* Moshchun
* Kozarovytska Dam
* Brovary
* Slavutych
* 1st Sumy
* Chernihiv
* Northern Ukraine skirmishes

* * *

Eastern front

* 1st Kharkiv
* Volnovakha
* Izium
* Rubizhne
* Popasna
* Battle of Donbas
* Siverskyi Donets
* Sievierodonetsk
* Lysychansk
* Pisky
* Bakhmut
* Soledar
* Vuhledar
* 2nd Kharkiv
* Lyman
* Russian winter offensive (2022–23)
* Marinka
* Avdiivka
* Luhansk Oblast

* * *

Southern front

* Mariupol
* 1st Kherson
* Melitopol
* Mykolaiv
* Enerhodar
* Voznesensk
* 2nd Kherson
* Kherson City
* Dnieper
* Kakhovka Dam
* Krynky
* 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive (Mala Tokmachka)

* * *

Other regions

* Strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure

* * *

Naval operations

* Snake Island

* * *

Spillover & related incidents

* Western Russia
* Bryansk Oblast
* Kremlin drone attack
* Belgorod Oblast incursion
* 2022 Russian mobilization
* Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
* Poland missile explosion
* Black Sea drone incident
* Wagner Group rebellion

2024–25 campaign

Northern Ukraine skirmishes

* 2nd Sumy
* Sumy strike

* * *

Eastern front

* Luhansk Oblast
* Kupiansk
* Northeast Donetsk
* Avdiivka
* Vuhledar
* Chasiv Yar
* Krasnohorivka
* Ocheretyne
* 3rd Kharkiv
* Kharkiv strikes
* Toretsk
* Pokrovsk
* Kurakhove
* Velyka Novosilka
* Novopavlivka

* * *

Southern front

* Dnieper
* Krynky

* * *

Ukrainian incursion

* Kursk
* Olgovskiy Forest
* Stream
* Belgorod incursion
* Tyotkino incursion

* * *

Other regions

* Strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure

* * *

Naval operations

* Tendra Spit

* * *

Spillover & related incidents

* Western Russia
* May 2024 Belgorod missile strike
* March 2024 western Russia incursion
* 2024 Ukrainian coup attempt allegations
* 2024 Ukrainian cyberattacks against Russia
* Toropets explosions
* North Korean involvement
* Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
* Spider's Web

On 16 March 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Russian Armed Forces[1][3] bombed the Donetsk Academic Regional Drama Theatre in Mariupol, Ukraine. It was used as an air raid shelter during the siege of Mariupol, sheltering a large number of civilians. The estimations of the number of deaths that occurred due to the bombing have varied, from at least 12 and "likely many more"[1] (Amnesty International) to as many as 600 (Associated Press).[2][a]

The Ukrainian government accused the Russian Armed Forces of deliberately bombing the theatre while it was sheltering civilians.[5] Russia denied the allegations.[6] The Russian claim has been refuted by independent investigations.

The theatre is among the Ukrainian heritage and cultural sites destroyed during the invasion.[7] The attack has been classified as a war crime by both the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and Amnesty International.[1][8]

## Background

[edit]

Main article: Siege of Mariupol

The theatre in May 2021, ten months before the airstrike

On 24 February 2022, the Russian Armed Forces, working together with pro-Russian militias, besieged the port city of Mariupol, leading to heavy casualties. Supplies such as food, gas, and electricity were cut off during the siege.[9] By 17 March, the mayor of Mariupol, Serhiy Orlov, estimated that 80–90 percent of the city had been destroyed due to shelling.[10]

Mariupol city council officials stated that the theatre was the largest single air raid shelter in the city, sheltering 500[3] to 1,200[5] civilians, and at the time of the attack, women and children were sheltering in it.[11]

Satellite images of the theatre taken on 14 March show the word "children" (Russian: "дети") spelled out in two locations on the square outside the theatre. The message was an attempt to identify the building to attacking forces as a civilian air raid shelter containing children, and not a military target.[12]

## Attack

[edit]

The severely damaged theatre (view from the road)[13]

On 16 March 2022, Ukraine accused Russian forces of shelling civilian areas in Mariupol. Artillery hit numerous locations, including a swimming pool building and a vehicle convoy;[14] shelling then struck the theatre, reducing the building to rubble.[15]

The time of the attack on the Donetsk Regional Academic Drama Theatre was shortly after 10 am.[1]

The bomb shelter in the basement of the theatre survived the bombing, but many people were still trapped underneath the burning rubble.[16] A member of the Ukrainian parliament from Mariupol, Dmytro Gurin, said that the rescue efforts were hampered due to continued attacks on the area by Russian forces.[17]

On 25 March, videos showing the immediate aftermath of the attack emerged on social media: a first video showed people covered in dust descending from the partially destroyed upper floors of the building; and a second video showed the site of the impact.[18]

## Victims

[edit]

On 17 March, the number of casualties was unclear; some emerged alive.[19]

By 18 March, around 130 survivors had been rescued.[20][21] The Mariupol City Council stated that according to initial information, no one had been killed, although one person was gravely wounded.[22]

On 25 March, the Mariupol City Council estimated that about 300 people had been killed as a result of the airstrike.[23][24]

On 25 March, The Washington Post published an investigation that cited witnesses that said that all families that had been sheltering in the theatre's basement had escaped unscathed and evacuations had begun before the bombing.[25]

On 4 May, the Associated Press (AP) published an investigation with evidence pointing to 600 dead in the airstrike. Many survivors estimated that around 200 people –including rescuers– had escaped through the main exit or one side entrance; the other side and the back were crushed.[2]

On 7 June 2022, Human Rights Watch and Kharkiv Human Rights Protection Group separately announced that Ukrainian refugees, as well as civilians forcibly deported to Russia, were being pressured and intimidated to implicate Ukrainian military personnel in war crimes. This includes a case where a refugee was pressured to implicate the Azov Regiment in the theatre airstrike.[26]

## Reaction

[edit]

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy accused Russia of committing a war crime.[12]

Russian media have widely reported that the Russian Ministry of Defence denied responsibility for the bombing and accused the Azov Regiment of planning and carrying out the theatre bombing instead.[9][12] They claimed that no Russian forces carried out air strikes within the city and blamed Azov Regiment for "taking hostages" of civilians and blowing up the upper floors of the theatre.[27]

Italy's Minister of Culture, Dario Franceschini, made an offer to the Ukrainian government to rebuild the theatre.[28]

## Independent reports

[edit]

On 13 April, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) published a report which covered the Mariupol theatre airstrike.

> Russia does not claim that it was a legitimate target but that it was blown up by the Ukrainian Azov battalion. The Mission did not receive any indication that this could be the case... This incident constitutes most likely an egregious violation of IHL and those who ordered or executed it committed a war crime.[8]: 48

On 4 May, the Associated Press published an investigation of the airstrike, increasing the Ukrainian government's estimate of about 300 to 600 dead. It also refuted Russian claims that the theatre was demolished by Ukrainian forces or served as a Ukrainian military base:[2]

> None of the witnesses saw Ukrainian soldiers operating inside the building. And not one person doubted that the theater was destroyed in a Russian air attack aimed with precision at a civilian target everyone knew was the city’s largest bomb shelter, with children in it.

On 30 June 2022, Amnesty International concluded that the airstrike was perpetrated by Russian forces which used two 500-kilogram (1,100 lb) bombs, and was a war crime.[1]

> Many people were injured and killed in this merciless attack. Their deaths were likely caused by Russian forces deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilians. The International Criminal Court, and all others with jurisdiction over crimes committed during this conflict, must investigate this attack as a war crime. All those responsible must be held accountable for causing such death and destruction.

> Amnesty International believes that at least a dozen people were killed by the strike and likely many more, and that many others were seriously injured. This estimate is lower than previous counts, reflecting the fact that large numbers of people had left the theatre during the two days prior to the attack, and most of those who remained were in the theatre’s basement and other areas that were protected from the full brunt of the blast.[1]

## Aftermath

[edit]

On 11 July, 2022 Ukrainian media reported that the theatre rubble was cleared by Russians and bodies of victims were allegedly taken away to an unknown place.[29][30][31]

A Potemkin village–styled scene has been built around the ruins of the theatre.[32]

In February 2023, Russian journalist Maria Ponomarenko [sv] was sentenced to six years in prison under Russia's war censorship laws for publishing information about the Mariupol theatre airstrike.[33]

On 29 March 2023 InformNapalm published a report in which they accused Colonel Sergey Atroshchenko, commander of the 960th Assault Aviation Regiment of the Russian Air Force (VVSR) of leading the assault, which started from the Primorsko-Akhtarsk airbase in Krasnodar Krai.[34]

## See also

[edit]

* Amiriyah shelter bombing, 1991 attack on Iraqi civilians sheltering
* Mariupol art school bombing
* Mariupol hospital airstrike

## Notes

[edit]

1. ^ At least 11 (eleven) are confirmed by a Russian source.[4]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b c d e f g "Ukraine: Deadly Mariupol Theatre Strike 'A Clear War Crime' By Russian Forces". Amnesty International. 30 June 2022. Archived from the original on 9 July 2022. Retrieved 30 June 2022.
2. ^ a b c d Hinnant, Lori; Chernov, Mstyslav; Stepanenko, Vasilisa (4 May 2022). "AP evidence points to 600 dead in Mariupol theater airstrike". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 4 May 2022. Retrieved 16 June 2022.
3. ^ a b "Ukraine: Mariupol Theater Hit by Russian Attack Sheltered Hundreds". Human Rights Watch. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
4. ^ "В Мариуполе при разборе завалов драмтеатра нашли тела 11 человек" [In Mariupol, during the analysis of the rubble of the drama theatre, the bodies of 11 people were found]. www.kommersant.ru (in Russian). 24 April 2022. Archived from the original on 11 July 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
5. ^ a b Bachega, Hugo (16 March 2022). "Ukraine war: Russia attacks theatre sheltering civilians, Mariupol says". BBC News. Archived from the original on 17 April 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
6. ^ "Russia accuses Ukraine of trying to frame it over Mariupol theatre attack". Reuters. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 18 April 2022. Retrieved 4 May 2022.
7. ^ Cascone, Sarah (23 March 2022). "A Mariupol Museum Dedicated to One of Ukraine's Most Important Realist Painters Has Reportedly Been Destroyed by Russian Airstrikes". Artnet News. Archived from the original on 2 May 2022. Retrieved 5 May 2022.
8. ^ a b Benedek, Wolfgang; Bílková, Veronika; Sassòli, Marco (13 April 2022). "Report on Violations of international Humanitarian and Human Rights Law, War Crimes and Crimes against Humanity Committed in Ukraine since 24 February 2022" (PDF). OSCE. Warsaw. Archived (PDF) from the original on 7 June 2022. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
9. ^ a b "Historic Theater Sheltering Mariupol Civilians Hit By Air Strike, Number Of Casualties Unknown". Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty. AP, AFP, dpa, and BBC. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 8 June 2022. Retrieved 17 June 2022. "Up to 1,200 people may have been inside the theater, the city's deputy mayor Serhiy Orlov said."
10. ^ Tondo, Lorenzo (17 March 2022). "Survivors leaving basement of Mariupol theatre after airstrike, say officials". the Guardian. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
11. ^ Lister, Tim (16 March 2022). "Russia bombs theater where hundreds sought shelter and 'children' was written on grounds". CNN. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
12. ^ a b c Hayes, Andy (16 March 2022). "Ukraine war: People buried under rubble after Mariupol theatre sheltering hundreds is hit by Russian bomb, officials say". Sky News. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 16 March 2022.
13. ^ Росіяни завдали авіаудару по Драмтеатру і басейну "Нептун" у Маріуполі, а також з Градів обстріляли авто колону, що йшла на Запоріжжя [The Russians launched an air strike on the Drama Theatre and the Neptune swimming pool in Mariupol, as well as fired on a convoy going to Zaporizhia from Grady]. Донецька обласна державна адміністрація [Donetsk Regional State Administration] (Press Release). 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 15 May 2022. Retrieved 31 March 2022.
14. ^ "Войска РФ нанесли удар по бассейну "Нептун" в Мариуполе, где прятались беременные (видео)" [Russian troops attacked the Neptune pool in Mariupol, where pregnant women were hiding (video)]. ФОКУС (in Russian). 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
15. ^ "Mariupol: Russia accused of bombing theatre and swimming pool sheltering civilians". the Guardian. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 16 March 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
16. ^ Mayer, Chloe (17 March 2022). "'It's a miracle': Mariupol theater victims survive Russian bombing". Newsweek. Archived from the original on 8 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
17. ^ "Mariupol theatre: 'We knew something terrible would happen'". BBC News. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
18. ^ @K_Loukerenko (25 March 2022). "First known to me footage of the Mariupol Drama theatre soon..." (Tweet) – via Twitter.
19. ^ Butenko, Victoria (17 March 2022). "People are emerging from the bombed Mariupol theater building, Ukrainian official says". CNN. Archived from the original on 6 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
20. ^ Sabin, Lamiat (18 March 2022). "Ukraine says 130 people rescued so far from bombed Mariupol theatre". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
21. ^ "Zelenskyy: 130 rescued, 'hundreds' under Mariupol theatre rubble". www.aljazeera.com. Archived from the original on 12 April 2022. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
22. ^ "130 Rescued in Ukrainian Theater Bombing, Search for Missing Continues". Voice of America. 18 March 2022. Archived from the original on 19 March 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2022.
23. ^ "Ukraine fears 300 people were killed in Mariupol theatre bombed by Russia as families sheltered". www.independent.co.uk. 25 March 2022. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2022.
24. ^ "Satellite images show apparent devastation, hunger in Mariupol". NBC News. 30 March 2022. Archived from the original on 9 April 2022. Retrieved 1 April 2022.
25. ^ "Inside the Mariupol theater attack: 'I heard screams constantly' - the Washington Post". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 10 November 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
26. ^ Lanting, Bert (7 June 2022). "HRW: Oekraïense vluchtelingen in Rusland worden onder druk ondervraagd" [HRW: Ukrainian refugees in Russia are interrogated under pressure]. de Volkskrant (in Dutch). Retrieved 8 June 2022.
27. ^ "Azov battalion militants blow up Mariupol theater building — Defense Ministry". TASS. 16 March 2022. Archived from the original on 25 March 2022. Retrieved 2 April 2022.
28. ^ "Ukraine: Italy ready to rebuild Mariupol theatre says min". ANSA. 17 March 2022. Archived from the original on 7 April 2022. Retrieved 17 March 2022.
29. ^ "Россияне разобрали завалы и вывезли тела из Драмтеатра Мариуполя – установить количество жертв невозможно" [Russians have dismantled rubble and have moved bodies elsewhere from Mariupol Drama Theatre – It's impossible to identify exact amount of victims]. www.ukrinform.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 31 May 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
30. ^ "Оккупанты разобрали завалы и вывезли тела из драмтеатра Мариуполя – советник мэра" [Occupants have dismantled rubble and took bodies from Mariupol Theatre away – Mayor adviser]. ТСН.ua (in Russian). 20 May 2022. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
31. ^ Лукащукова, Елизавета (3 May 2022). "Тяжелую технику привлекли к разбору завалов драмтеатра в Мариуполе" [Heavy equipment was involved in the analysis of the rubble of the drama theater in Mariupol]. Ямал-Медиа. Retrieved 11 July 2022.[permanent dead link]
32. ^ The Russian coverup of the destroyed Mariupol Drama Theater observed on November 30. - Satellite image ©2022 Maxar Technologies. Archived 4 December 2022 at the Wayback Machine www.understandingwar.org
33. ^ "Russia Jails Anti-War Journalist 6 Years for 'Fake News'". The Moscow Times. 15 February 2023.
34. ^ "Hacking a Russian war criminal, commander of 960th Assault Aviation Regiment". 29 March 2023.

## External links

[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Theatre of Mariupol in 2022.

External image

A satellite image by Maxar Technologies shows the aftermath of the bombing. The word 'children' (Russian: дети) written in large white letters on the pavement is visible at the front and rear of the building.

* v
* t
* e

Russian invasion of Ukraine

Part of the Russo-Ukrainian War

Overview

General|

* Outline
* Timeline
* Prelude
* Feb–Apr 2022
* Apr–Aug 2022
* Aug–Nov 2022
* Nov 2022 – Jun 2023
* Jun–Aug 2023
* Sep–Nov 2023
* Dec 2023 – Mar 2024
* Apr–Jul 2024
* Aug–Dec 2024
* Jan–May 2025
* Jun 2025 – present
* Aerial warfare
* Defense lines
* Foreign fighters
* Information war
* Naval warfare
* Legality
* Map
* Order of battle
* Peace negotiations
* Ukraine's Peace Formula
* China peace proposal
* June 2024 peace summit
* Proposed no-fly zone
* Red lines
* Reparations
* Territorial control
* Women

Prelude|

* Reactions
* Disinformation
* Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory
* Ukraine and weapons of mass destruction
* 2021 Russia–United States summit
* 2021 Black Sea incident
* Belarus–European Union border crisis
* "On the Historical Unity of Russians and Ukrainians"
* Crimea Platform
* Zapad 2021
* December 2021 ultimatum
* 2022 Ukraine cyberattacks
* Zametil 2022
* Union Resolve 2022
* Stanytsia Luhanska kindergarten bombing
* British–Polish–Ukrainian trilateral pact
* Evacuation of the Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR
* Mobilization in Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR
* "Address concerning the events in Ukraine"
* "On conducting a special military operation"

Background|

* Dissolution of the Soviet Union
* 2014 pro-Russian unrest in Ukraine
* Annexation of Crimea
* reactions
* War in Donbas
* 2022 timeline
* Minsk agreements
* humanitarian situation
* international recognition of the Donetsk PR and Luhansk PR
* Putinism
* Foundations of Geopolitics
* Novorossiya
* Ruscism
* Russian irredentism
* Russian imperialism

Foreign
relations|

* Russia–Ukraine
* Belarus–Ukraine
* Belarus–Russia
* Russia–United States
* Ukraine–United States
* Russia–NATO
* Ukraine–NATO
* enlargement of NATO
* eastward expansion controversy in Russia
* open door policy

Military engagements

Southern
Ukraine|

* Snake Island campaign
* Siege of Mariupol
* Battle of Kherson
* Capture of Melitopol
* Battle of Mykolaiv
* Battle of Enerhodar
* Battle of Voznesensk
* Kherson counteroffensive
* Liberation of Kherson
* Dnieper campaign
* Destruction of the Kakhovka Dam

Eastern
Ukraine|

* Battle of Volnovakha
* Battle of Kharkiv
* Battle of Izium
* Battle of Rubizhne
* Battle of Popasna
* Battle of Marinka
* Battle of Donbas
* Battle of the Siverskyi Donets
* Battle of Sievierodonetsk
* Battle of Lysychansk
* Battle of Pisky
* Battle of Bakhmut
* Battle of Soledar
* Battle of Vuhledar
* Kharkiv counteroffensive
* Battle of Lyman (September–October 2022)
* Luhansk Oblast campaign
* Kupiansk
* Northeast Donetsk
* Battle of Avdiivka
* Battle of Chasiv Yar
* Battle of Krasnohorivka
* Battle of Ocheretyne
* Battle of Toretsk
* Pokrovsk offensive
* Battle of Kurakhove

Northern
Ukraine|

* Capture of Chernobyl
* Russian Kyiv convoy
* Battle of Kyiv
* Battle of Antonov Airport
* Battle of Hostomel
* Battle of Bucha
* Battle of Irpin
* Battle of Makariv
* Battle of Moshchun
* Destruction of the Kozarovychi Dam
* Battle of Brovary
* Battle of Slavutych
* Battle of Sumy
* Siege of Chernihiv
* Northeastern border skirmishes
* 2025 Sumy Oblast incursion

Russia|

* Bryansk Oblast raid
* Kremlin drone attack
* Moscow drone strikes
* 2023 Belgorod Oblast incursions
* 30 December 2023 Belgorod shelling
* February 2024 Belgorod missile strike
* May 2024 Belgorod missile strike
* March 2024 western Russia incursion
* 2024 Kursk offensive
* occupation
* Battles for Olgovskiy Forest
* Toropets depot explosions
* 2025 Belgorod Oblast incursion

Airstrikes
by city|

* Chernihiv strikes
* Dnipro strikes
* Huliaipole strikes
* Ivano-Frankivsk strikes
* Kharkiv strikes
* Kherson strikes
* Khmelnytskyi strikes
* Kryvyi Rih strikes
* Kyiv strikes
* Lviv strikes
* Mykolaiv strikes
* Odesa strikes
* Rivne strikes
* Vinnytsia strikes
* Zaporizhzhia strikes
* Zhytomyr strikes

Airstrikes
on military
targets|

* Chuhuiv air base attack
* Millerovo air base attack
* Chornobaivka attacks
* 7 March 2022 Mykolaiv military barracks attack
* Yavoriv military base attack
* 18 March 2022 Mykolaiv military quarters attack
* Berdiansk port attack
* Sinking of the Moskva
* Desna barracks airstrike
* Attack on Nova Kakhovka
* Crimea attacks
* Saky air base attack
* Drone attack on the Sevastopol Naval Base
* Missile strike on the Black Sea Fleet headquarters
* Dyagilevo and Engels air bases attacks
* Makiivka military quarters shelling
* Machulishchy air base attack
* Zarichne barracks airstrike
* Operation Spider's Web

Resistance|

| Russian-occupied Ukraine|

* Popular Resistance of Ukraine
* Berdiansk Partisan Army
* Yellow Ribbon
* Atesh

|

Belarusian and Russian partisans|

* Assassination of Vladlen Tatarsky
* Civic Council
* Irpin Declaration
* Killing of Darya Dugina
* National Republican Army
* Military commissariats arsons
* Ust-Ilimsk military commissariat shooting
* Black Bridge
* Rail war in Russia
* Stop the Wagons
* Combat Organization of Anarcho-Communists
* Rail war in Belarus
* Busly liaciać
* BYPOL
* Community of Railway Workers
* Cyber Partisans

Russian
occupations|

* Flags used in Russian-occupied Ukraine

Ongoing|

* Annexation referendums
* Annexation of Donetsk, Kherson, Luhansk and Zaporizhzhia oblasts
* Elections in Russian-occupied Ukraine
* Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine
* Autonomous Republic of Crimea and Sevastopol
* Donetsk Oblast
* Kharkiv Oblast
* Kherson Oblast
* Luhansk Oblast
* Mykolaiv Oblast
* Zaporizhzhia Oblast
* Sumy Oblast (2025, reentry)

Previous|

* Chernihiv Oblast
* Kyiv Oblast
* Odesa Oblast
* Sumy Oblast (2022)
* Zhytomyr Oblast

Potentially
related|

* Black Sea drone incident
* Bridge collapses in Russia
* Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant drone strike
* Mystery fires in Russia
* Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
* Transnistria attacks
* Zagreb Tu-141 crash

Other|

* 2022 Crimean Bridge explosion
* 2023 Crimean Bridge explosion
* 2025 Crimean Bridge explosion
* Assassination attempts on Volodymyr Zelenskyy
* Coup d'état attempt in Ukraine
* Bridges in the Russo-Ukrainian War
* Dragon drone
* Violations of non-combatant airspaces
* Missile explosion in Poland
* Operation Synytsia
* Ukraine and electronic warfare
* Use of long-range weapons by Ukraine in Russia
* 2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive
* 2024 Ukrainian cyberattacks against Russia
* Wagner Group rebellion

War crimes

General|

* Accusations of genocide in Donbas
* Allegations of genocide of Ukrainians
* child abductions
* Attacks on hospitals
* Cluster munitions
* Incendiary weapons
* Landmines
* Russian filtration camps
* Russian mobile crematoriums
* Russian theft of Ukrainian grain
* Russian torture chambers
* Looting
* Sexual violence
* Mistreatment of prisoners of war

Attacks on
civilians|

* February 2022 Kharkiv cluster bombing
* Kharkiv government building airstrike
* 3 March Chernihiv bombing
* Irpin refugee column shelling
* Mariupol hospital airstrike
* Stara Krasnianka care house attack
* Mykolaiv cluster bombing
* March 2022 Donetsk attack
* 2022 Borodianka airstrikes
* Chernihiv breadline attack
* Mariupol theatre airstrike
* Kyiv shopping centre bombing
* Sumykhimprom ammonia leak
* March 2022 Kharkiv cluster bombing
* Mykolaiv government building missile strike
* Bucha massacre
* Kramatorsk railway station attack
* April 2022 Kharkiv cluster bombing
* Bilohorivka school bombing
* Shooting of Andrii Bohomaz
* Maisky Market attack
* Kremenchuk shopping mall attack
* Serhiivka missile strike
* Chasiv Yar missile strike
* Olenivka prison massacre
* Kharkiv dormitories missile strike
* Chaplyne railway station attack
* Izium mass graves
* September 2022 Donetsk attack
* Zaporizhzhia civilian convoy attack
* Kupiansk civilian convoy shelling
* Zaporizhzhia residential building airstrike
* Russian strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure
* 2023 Dnipro residential building airstrike
* Sloviansk airstrike
* Uman missile strike
* Kramatorsk restaurant missile strike
* Lyman cluster bombing
* 2023 Pokrovsk missile strike
* Chernihiv missile strike
* Kostiantynivka missile strike
* Hroza missile attack
* Volnovakha massacre
* December 2023 strikes
* 2024 Pokrovsk missile strike
* 2024 Donetsk attack
* Lysychansk missile strike
* 6 March 2024 Odesa strike
* March 2024 strikes
* Human safari (terror campaign)
* May 2024 Kharkiv strikes
* 8 July 2024 strikes
* 2024 Kostiantynivka supermarket missile attack
* 26 August 2024 strikes
* September 2024 Poltava strike
* November 2024 strikes
* February 2025 Poltava strike
* 2025 Sumy airstrike

Crimes
against
soldiers|

* Torture of Russian soldiers in Mala Rohan
* Torture and castration of a Ukrainian POW in Pryvillia
* Rape of Donetsk People's Republic soldiers by Kadyrovites
* Murder of Yevgeny Nuzhin
* Makiivka surrender incident
* Execution of Oleksandr Matsievskyi
* 2022 Ukrainian prisoner of war beheading

Legal cases|

* ICC investigation
* Arrest warrants
* ICJ court case
* Task Force on Accountability
* Universal jurisdiction
* Crime of aggression tribunal
* Criminal proceedings
* Vadim Shishimarin
* Alexander Bobikin and Alexander Ivanov
* Anton Cherednik

Reactions

States
and
official
entities|

| General|

* Sanctions
* people and organizations
* restrictions on transit to Kaliningrad Oblast
* Military aid
* European Union Military Assistance Mission in support of Ukraine
* People's Bayraktar
* Signmyrocket.com
* Humanitarian aid
* Sanctioned yachts
* Relations with Russia

|

Ukraine|

* Application to NATO
* Be Brave Like Ukraine
* Brave1
* Bring Kids Back UA
* Ban on Russia-associated religious groups
* Coordination Headquarters for the Treatment of Prisoners of War
* Decolonization and derussification law
* Delta
* Destroyed Russian military equipment exhibition
* For Courage and Bravery (Ukraine)
* Grain From Ukraine
* Headquarters of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief
* Hero City
* I Want to Live
* International Legion and other foreign units
* Belarusian Volunteer Corps
* Terror Battalion
* Black Maple Company
* Canadian-Ukrainian Brigade
* Freedom of Russia Legion
* German Volunteer Corps
* Karelian National Battalion
* Kastuś Kalinoŭski Regiment
* Norman Brigade
* Pahonia Regiment
* Polish Volunteer Corps
* Romanian Battlegroup Getica
* Russian Volunteer Corps
* Separate Special Purpose Battalion
* Sibir Battalion
* Turan Battalion
* International Sponsors of War
* Forced confiscation law of Russian property [ru; uk]
* Look for Your Own
* Lukoil sanctions
* Martial law
* Mobilization
* Media Center Ukraine
* National Council for the Recovery of Ukraine from the War [uk]
* National Multi-Subject Test [uk]
* North Korea–Ukraine relations
* Points of Invincibility
* Recognition of Ichkeria
* Rescuer City
* Save Ukrainian Culture [uk]
* Syria–Ukraine relations
* Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra
* United24
* United News

Russia|

* highways in the annexed territories
* A290
* A291 "Tavrida"
* R260
* R280 "Novorossiya"
* 2022 Moscow rally
* 2023 Moscow rally
* 2022 Moscow Victory Day Parade
* 2023 Moscow Victory Day Parade
* 2024 Moscow Victory Day Parade
* 2023 Presidential Address to the Federal Assembly
* Blockade of Ukraine [ru]
* Bohdan Khmelnytsky Battalion
* Censorship in Russia [ru]
* Chechnya
* Pro-Ukrainian Chechen fighters
* Conmemorative Medal "Participant of a Special Military Operation" [ru]
* Conversations about Important Things
* Krasovsky case
* Legalization of parallel imports [ru]
* Manifesto of the South Russian People's Council
* Martial law
* Masha Moskalyova case
* Metropolis of Crimea
* Mikhail Simonov case
* Mobilization
* Recruitment of irregular forces [ru]
* Operation Doppelgänger
* Opinion polling [ru]
* Orthodox Christmas truce proposal
* Wagner Group–Ministry of Defense conflict
* Russian Orthodox clergymen appeal against war
* Salvation Committee for Peace and Order
* Special Coordinating Council
* Ukraine bioweapons conspiracy theory
* Unfriendly countries list
* War censorship laws
* We Are Together. Sports
* "What Russia Should Do with Ukraine"

United States|

* 2022 Joe Biden speech in Warsaw
* 2022 State of the Union Address
* Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2022
* Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023
* Disinformation Governance Board
* Executive Order 14071
* Pentagon document leaks
* Task Force KleptoCapture
* Ukraine Defense Contact Group
* Ukraine Democracy Defense Lend-Lease Act
* Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative

Other countries|

* Belarus
* Canada
* Canada–Ukraine authorization for emergency travel
* China
* Closer ties with Russia
* Chinese peace plan
* Hong Kong
* Croatia
* Denmark
* Danish European Union defence opt-out referendum
* France
* Mission Aigle
* Georgia
* Germany
* German Taurus controversy
* Taurus leak
* Zeitenwende speech
* Hungary
* India
* Operation Ganga
* Iran
* Closer ties with Russia
* Israel
* Operation Israel Guarantees
* Lithuania
* Moldova
* New Zealand
* Russia Sanctions Act
* North Korea
* Poland
* border crisis with Ukraine
* Syria [ru]
* Taiwan
* United Kingdom
* Economic Crime Act
* Homes for Ukraine
* Operation Interflex
* 2025 London Summit on Ukraine
* Coalition of the willing

United Nations|

* Emergency special session
* Resolution ES-11/1
* Resolution ES-11/2
* Resolution ES-11/3
* Resolution ES-11/4
* Resolution ES-11/5
* Resolution ES-11/6
* Resolution ES-11/7
* Security Council Resolution 2623
* Resolution A/RES/77/229
* Easter truce

International
organizations|

* Accession of Moldova to the EU
* Accession of Ukraine to the EU
* Brussels summit
* European Political Community
* 1st summit
* 2nd summit
* 3rd summit
* Madrid summit
* NATO virtual summit
* Operation Oscar
* Ramstein Air Base meeting
* EU–Ukraine Summit
* REPowerEU
* Steadfast Defender 2024
* SWIFT ban against Russian banks
* Ukraine Recovery Conference
* Versailles declaration
* 2023 Vilnius summit
* 15th BRICS summit
* 2024 Washington summit
* Weimar+

Other|

* Consecration of Russia
* F-16 training coalition
* Finland–NATO relations
* Finland–Russia border barrier
* Iron diplomacy
* Proposed Russian annexation of South Ossetia
* Recognition of Russia as a terrorist state
* Removal of monuments and memorials
* Streets renamed
* Ukraine Square, Oslo
* Serving heads of state and government that have visited Ukraine during the invasion
* Sweden–NATO relations
* Swedish anti-terrorism bill

Public|

| Protests|

* In Ukraine
* in Russian-occupied Ukraine
* demolition of monuments to Alexander Pushkin
* ArmWomenNow
* Ukrainian Artistic Front
* In Russia
* Angry patriots
* Club of Angry Patriots
* Anti-War Committee
* Suspicious deaths of Russian businesspeople
* Congress of People's Deputies
* Council of Mothers and Wives
* Feminist Anti-War Resistance
* Flower protests
* Marina Ovsyannikova
* Russian Action Committee
* North Caucasian protests
* 2022 Russian Far East protests
* State Duma initiative for charging Vladimir Putin of high treason
* White-blue-white flag
* In Belarus
* In China
* Great Translation Movement
* In Czech Republic
* Czech Republic First!

|

Companies|

* Address of the Russian Union of Rectors
* Boycott of Russia and Belarus
* "Do not buy Russian goods!"
* E.N.O.T. Corp.
* Igor Mangushev
* McDonald's in Russia
* Vkusno i tochka
* NashStore [ru]
* People's Satellite
* Starlink satellites
* Stop Bloody Energy
* Wagner Group
* Andrey Aleksandrovich Medvedev
* Death of Nemes Tarimo
* Yale CELI List of Companies

Technology|

* Anonymous and the invasion
* alerts.in.ua
* DDoS attacks on Romania
* DeepStateMap.Live
* Denys Davydov
* IT Army of Ukraine
* Killnet
* Liveuamap
* Open-source intelligence
* peacenotwar
* Russian Asset Tracker
* Squad303 [pl]
* Ukraine Siren Alerts
* Wikipedia
* threat to block in Russia
* detention of Mark Bernstein

Spies|

* Diplomatic expulsions during the Russo-Ukrainian War
* Russian spies in the Russo-Ukrainian War

Other|

* Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families
* Black Sea Grain Initiative
* Collaboration with Russia
* We Are Together with Russia
* Concert for Ukraine
* Free Buryatia Foundation
* Free Nations of Post-Russia Forum
* Game4Ukraine
* Get Lost
* Global Tour for Peace
* Go by the Forest
* Guide to the Free World
* Mozart Group
* Olena Zelenska Foundation
* Open letter from Nobel laureates
* Pavel Sudoplatov Battalion
* Rubikus.HelpUA
* Ruslan Shostak Charitable Foundation
* Russia's War Crimes House
* Save Ukraine
* Saving Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Online
* Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation
* Spain letter bomb attacks
* Yermak-McFaul Expert Group on Russian Sanctions
* Pavel Filatyev
* True Russia
* Volos Declaration
* Vyvozhuk
* Wimbledon ban

Impact

Effects|

* Aircraft losses
* Casualties
* journalists killed
* Russian generals killed
* Economic impact
* Inflation surge
* 2022 Moldovan energy crisis
* protests
* 2025 Moldovan energy crisis
* Russia–EU gas dispute
* 2022 Nord Stream pipeline sabotage
* Russian debt default
* 2022 Russian oil price cap
* 2022-2024 German economic crisis
* 2023 Russian oil products sanctions and price cap
* EU natural gas price cap
* Education
* End of the Whisky War
* Environmental impact
* European re-armament
* Eurovision Song Contest 2022
* Russia
* Ukraine
* Eurovision Song Contest 2023
* Food crises
* Impact on theatre [uk]
* List of notable deaths
* Lukoil oil transit dispute
* Nuclear power plants
* Zaporizhzhia Nuclear Power Plant crisis
* Nuclear risk
* Religion
* Russian emigration
* The Ark
* Ship losses
* Ukrainian cultural heritage
* art theft and looting
* damaged cultural sites
* Trauma
* Urengoy–Pomary–Uzhhorod pipeline explosion
* Ukrainian energy crisis
* Violations of non-combatant airspaces
* Women

Human
rights|

* Humanitarian impact
* Ukrainian refugee crisis
* 2025 Amsterdam stabbing attack
* Sobieskiego 100
* UN Commission of Inquiry
* UN Human Rights Monitoring Mission

Terms and
phrases|

* "And now I will show you where the attack on Belarus was prepared from"
* "Anglo-Saxons"
* "Bavovna"
* "Grandpa in his bunker"
* "Good evening, we are from Ukraine"
* "Orc"
* "Putin khuylo!"
* "Khuy Voyne!"
* "Russia is here forever [uk]"
* "Russian warship, go fuck yourself"
* "Slava Ukraini!"
* "Special military operation"
* "To bomb Voronezh"
* "Strength is in truth"
* "Westsplaining"
* "Where have you been for eight years?"
* "Without you"

Popular
culture|

| Songs|

* "12"
* "Bakhmut Fortress"
* "Bayraktar"
* "Bilia topoli"
* "City of Mary"
* "Flowers of Minefields"
* "Generation Cancellation"
* "Generation Z"
* "I'm Russian"
* "Oyda"
* "Hey, Hey, Rise Up!"
* "Mama ŠČ!"
* "Oi u luzi chervona kalyna"
* "Slava Ukraini!"
* "Stefania"
* "Ukraine"
* "Crushed"

|

Films|

* 20 Days in Mariupol
* A Rising Fury
* Follow Me
* Intercepted
* Russians at War
* Turn in the Wound
* Ukraine on Fire 2 [uk]

Other|

* Babylon'13
* Back to the Cold War
* Borodianka cat [uk]
* Ghost of Kyiv
* Kherson watermelon
* Královec Region
* Madonna of Kyiv
* North Atlantic Fella Organization
* Newspeak in Russia
* Patron
* "Putler"
* "Putinversteher"
* Raccoon of Kherson
* Saint Javelin
* Saint Mariuburg [ru; uk]
* Vasylkiv maiolica rooster
* Vladimir Putin's meeting table
* Walk of the Brave
* "Z" military symbol

Key people

Ukrainians|

* Volodymyr Zelenskyy
* speeches during the invasion
* visit to the United States
* visit to the United Kingdom
* visits to Europe
* Anatolii Kryvonozhko
* Anatoliy Barhylevych
* Andrii Hnatov
* Andriy Biletsky
* Andriy Yermak
* Denys Shmyhal
* Denys Kireyev  X
* Denys Monastyrsky  †
* Denys Prokopenko
* Ihor Klymenko
* Iryna Venediktova
* Kyrylo Budanov
* Mykhailo Drapatyi
* Mykola Oleschuk
* Oleksandr Pavlyuk
* Oleksandr Syrskyi
* Oleksii Reznikov
* Oleksiy Danilov
* Oleksiy Neizhpapa
* Ruslan Khomchak
* Rustem Umerov
* Sergiy Kyslytsya
* Serhiy Shaptala
* Serhii Sternenko
* Valerii Zaluzhnyi
* Vasyl Malyuk
* Vitali Klitschko
* Yevhen Moisiuk
* Yulia Svyrydenko

Russians|

* Vladimir Putin
* Aleksandr Dvornikov
* Aleksandr Lapin
* Aleksey Dyumin
* Aleksey Nagin  †
* Alexander Bortnikov
* Andrei Kolesnikov
* Andrei Sychevoi
* Andrey Belousov
* Andrey Vorobyov
* Dmitry Medvedev
* Gennady Zhidko  #
* Igor Kastyukevich
* Ivan Popov
* Mikhail Mishustin
* Maria Lvova-Belova
* Nikolai Patrushev
* Oleg Salyukov
* Oleg Tsokov  †
* Ramzan Kadyrov
* Roman Berdnikov
* Rustam Muradov
* Sergey Kobylash
* Sergey Lavrov
* Sergey Naryshkin
* Sergei Shoigu
* Sergey Surovikin
* Timur Ivanov
* Valery Gerasimov
* Viktor Sokolov
* Viktor Zolotov
* Vitaly Gerasimov
* Vyacheslav Gladkov
* Vyacheslav Volodin
* Yevgeny Prigozhin  X

Other|

* Alexander Lukashenko
* Denis Pushilin
* Leonid Pasechnik
* Sergey Aksyonov
* Vitaly Ganchev
* Vladimir Saldo
* Yevgeny Balitsky
* Yuriy Barbashov

Related

* 2023 North Korea–Russia summit
* 2023 visit by Joe Biden to Ukraine
* 2023 visit by Fumio Kishida to Ukraine
* 2023 visit by Xi Jinping to Russia
* 2023 visit by Yoon Suk Yeol to Ukraine
* 2025 Putin–Trump call
* Anti-drone mesh
* Anti-Russian sentiment
* Anti-Ukrainian sentiment
* Antonov An-225 Mriya
* Axis of Upheaval
* Azerbaijan Airlines Flight 8243
* Azovstal Iron and Steel Works
* Brovary helicopter crash
* Bryansk Oblast military aircraft crashes
* Claims of Vladimir Putin's incapacity and death
* Decolonization in Ukraine
* Decommunization in Ukraine
* Derussification in Ukraine
* Demolition of monuments to Alexander Pushkin in Ukraine
* Foreign leaders that have visited during the invasion
* Institute for the Study of War
* Irkutsk Su-30 crash
* Ivanovo Ilyushin Il-76 crash
* Korochansky Ilyushin Il-76 crash
* Kyivstar cyberattack
* Lady R incident
* Moldovan coup d'état attempt allegations
* Nord Stream 2
* Proposed Russian annexation of Transnistria
* Punisher
* Russian nuclear weapons
* Sarmat
* Rico Krieger
* Russian military presence in Transnistria
* Ryazan Il-76 crash
* Siberian wildfires
* Sinhury mid-air collision [uk; zh]
* Soloti military training ground shooting
* Soviet imagery
* Territorial Center of Recruitment and Social Support
* Turtle tank
* U-24 association
* Ukrainian-African Renaissance
* Ukrainian conscription crisis
* Western long-range weapons in Russia
* Ural Airlines Flight 1383
* "The Vladimir Putin Interview"
* Voronezh An-26 crash
* Wagner Group plane crash
* Yeysk Su-34 crash
* Yaroslav Hunka scandal
* Time of Heroes

* Category

* v
* t
* e

Mariupol in the Russo-Ukrainian War

War in Donbas (2014–2022)|

* 1st battle (May–June 2014)
* 2nd battle (September 2014)
* January 2015 rocket attack
* Year of Freedom. Mariupol After DNR
* The City of the Heroes

Siege of Mariupol (2022)|

* Hospital airstrike
* Theatre airstrike
* Azovstal Iron and Steel Works
* 20 Days in Mariupol

Russian people|

* Konstantin Ivashchenko
* Andrei Kolesnikov
* Oleg Mityaev
* Andrei Paliy

Ukrainian people|

* Dmytro Apukhtin
* Volodymyr Baraniuk
* Vadym Boychenko
* Ihor Dashko
* Maksym Kagal
* Dmytro Kozatskyi
* Bohdan Krotevych
* Sviatoslav Palamar
* Vjekoslav Prebeg
* Denys Prokopenko
* Serhii Volynskyi
* Oleksii Yanin

Pro-Ukrainian volunteers|

* Aiden Aslin
* Shaun Pinner
* Brahim Saadoune

* Eastern Ukraine campaign
* Southern Ukraine campaign
* Category:Siege of Mariupol

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template