Russian military shells a mosque in Mariupol where over 80 adults and children were sheltering, Ukraine’s foreign ministry says

• Russian forces shelled a mosque in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Friday, Ukraine’s foreign ministry said.
• Over 80 adults and children were sheltering in the mosque. Some of them were Turkish citizens.
• The foreign ministry did not say whether there were casualties.

Russian forces shelled a mosque in the Ukrainian city of Mariupol on Friday, where over 80 people, including children, were sheltering, the Ukrainian foreign ministry said. 

“The mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxolana (Hurrem Sultan) in Mariupol was shelled by Russian invaders,” the foreign ministry said, per Al Jazeera. “More than 80 adults and children are hiding there from the shelling, including citizens of Turkey.”

Ukraine’s First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Emine Dzheppar tweeted as the Russian attack occurred on Friday, including a photo of the mosque.

—Emine Dzheppar (@EmineDzheppar) March 11, 2022

The foreign ministry did not say whether there were casualties from the shelling, according to Al Jazeera. 

Civilian and military casualties continue to mount in Mariupol, where those in the city have begun burying the dead in mass graves. The city has faced a Russian bombardment that included targeting a maternity hospital in an assault that left three civilians dead. The Russian government claimed without evidence that the hospital contained Ukrainian militants. 

Putin initially said that his invasion of Ukraine would not target any civilians, but the offensive has since bombed multiple towns and cities, resulting in a massive refugee crisis. Foreign officials have said that Russia is targeting civilians to try and “break morale.”

Russian forces have continued to press toward the Ukrainian capital since the invasion began on February 24. In over two weeks of fighting, there have been 1,546 confirmed Ukrainian casualties, the United Nations said Friday.