AFP :
A mosque in the southeastern Ukrainian port city of Mariupol, where 80 civilians were taking shelter, has been shelled by Russian forces, the Foreign Ministry of Ukraine said on Saturday, reports AFP.
“The mosque of Sultan Suleiman the Magnificent and his wife Roxolana (Hurrem Sultan) in Mariupol was shelled by Russian invaders. More than 80 adults and children are hiding there from the shelling, including citizens of Turkey,” the ministry writes on its Twitter account.
As per the details by the ministry, more than 80 adults and children are hiding there from the shelling, including citizens of Turkey.
The Ukrainian Embassy in Turkey said a group of 86 Turkish nationals, including 34 children, are among those sheltering in the mosque.
Quoting an embassy spokeswoman, the international reports said that the nationals had taken shelter in the mosque along with others seeking refuge from the Russian attack on the encircled port on the Sea of Azov.
“There are really big communication problems in Mariupol and there’s no opportunity to reach them,” international media quoted her as saying.
Hundreds of thousands of civilians have been trapped in Mariupol for more than a week with no food, water, heat, or power amid freezing temperatures. Efforts to establish a cease-fire to let them leave have repeatedly broken down.
