Ukrainian official: Mariupol ‘simply does not exist anymore’

Ukraine’s deputy prime minister, Olha Stefanishyna, on Sunday said the southeastern city of Mariupol “simply does not exist anymore,” adding that Russia’s objective more than a month into its invasion has “nothing to do with humanity.”

“They don’t have access to water, to any food supplies, to anything. More than 85 percent of the whole town is destroyed,” Stefanishyna said during an appearance on ABC’s “This Week,” referring to the citizens of Mariupol.

“So it simply does not exist anymore,” Stefanishyna said, explaining that conditions in Mariupol are extremely dire as many people remain in the city, even after evacuation efforts. 

She also said that while Mariupol is a political target for Russia, more than 80 towns and villages in the country have also been targeted. 

Stefanishyna added that war is “ordinary business” for Russia, adding that the Kremlin is extremely skilled in manipulation.

Ukrainian Deputy Prime Minister @StefanishynaO updates @jonkarl on developments in Mariupol.

“They don’t have access to water, to any food supplies, to anything. More than 85% of the whole town is destroyed. So it simply does not exist anymore.” https://t.co/SOwxPLpoMT pic.twitter.com/q5KJtHH3B9

— This Week (@ThisWeekABC) March 27, 2022

“That’s why they do it with the U.N. system, the Red Cross organization, and what I can confirm as an insider of some parts of this negotiation is that they do not really care about a single life of a person who died or suffers there,” she said, referring to Russian officials. “So for them, it has nothing to do with the humanity.”