January 27, 2025

In March 2022, Mariupol residents killed by Russian forces were buried directly in the courtyards of residential buildings. (Photo: REUTERS/Alexander Ermochenko)

Determining the actual death toll in Mariupol is currently impossible, but available information suggests that Russian forces killed approximately 20,000 people in the city, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an interview with Italian journalist Cecilia Sala on Jan. 25.

“In Mariupol, no,” Zelenskyy said. “I think it’s impossible to truly understand without carrying out proper work directly on the ground. We had information that the Russians killed around 20,000 people, but I can’t confirm that precisely.” 

The Ukrainian president added that thousands of people were taken prisoner by Russian forces, with Ukraine managing to secure the release of 4,000 of them. However, thousands more remain in captivity.

Zelenskyy also stated that Russian forces either killed, imprisoned, or tortured every civilian in Mariupol who took part in protests.

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“We’re talking about hundreds, or thousands, or even tens of thousands. On top of that, there were ongoing hostilities, and a lot of people were wounded or killed under the rubble,” the president said.

What’s known about Mariupol’s death toll

In May 2022, Azov Intelligence Officer Illia Samoilenko said during a press conference from the besieged Azovstal steelworks that Russian forces had killed 25,000 people in blockaded Mariupol.

On May 30, 2022, Mariupol Mayor Vadym Boichenko reported that between 50 to 100 civilian bodies were buried under the rubble of nearly every destroyed building in the city. Over the course of two months, Russian forces completely destroyed more than 1,000 apartment buildings.

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“The Russian army killed over 20,000 people, and that’s a very optimistic estimate,” Boichenko said.

A report by Human Rights Watch and Truth Hounds stated that between March 2022 and February 2023, over 10,000 people were buried in Mariupol, which was destroyed and occupied by Russian forces. At least 8,000 of these deaths were attributed directly to Russia’s invasion.

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