At least 22,000 people have died in Mariupol since the start of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

The adviser to the mayor of Mariupol Petro Andryushchenko declared it, writes CNN .

According to him, the Mariupol City Hall believes that at least 22,000 people died during the three months of the war due to Russian actions. Andryushchenko believes that the real figures could be much worse.

“It is absolutely dark in the city. The only fires are from Russian troops and Russian patrols. The smell of death and the smell of fire are everywhere,” Andryushchenko described today’s Mariupol.

At the same time, he says that access to the city for independent media is blocked, and the people who remained there are afraid to speak openly. The official also reported problems during the reburial of the dead.

The reburial process is complicated by the occupation authorities’ demand that the body be taken to a morgue. In addition, the person involved in the reburial must state in the video that the deceased was killed, say, by the Ukrainian military.

Andryushchenko stressed that there was a humanitarian catastrophe and communication problems in Mariupol. According to him, people cannot move freely and cannot escape through the filtration system.