Mariupol bombed for more than 10 days
#Ukrainesays #Russianbombed #theatrecivilians
Russian troops destroyed a theater and hundreds of civilians took refuge in the besieged city of Mariupol, local officials claimed Wednesday, as rhetoric from Joe Biden and Vladimir Putin about the war in Ukraine escalated sharply.

Some reports said more than 1,000 people took refuge in the theater, but the number of victims remains unclear, and Moscow has denied targeting the building.

President Biden called Putin a "war criminal" and announced that the US would provide Ukraine with an additional $800 million (£600 million) in military aid, including more air defence, anti-tank weapons and drones.

In a sign of anger, Putin slammed Russia for "scum and traitors", accusing the West of using them as a "fifth column" to destroy his country.

"Of course they (the West) will try to bet on the so-called fifth column, on traitors - on people who make money here but live there. Life, not in the geographical sense, but in their minds, sense of their servile thinking," Putin said.

"The collective West wants to divide our society ... to start a civil war in Russia and use its fifth column to achieve its goals. There is one more goal - to destroy Russia," he said in a televised address.

Mariupol was shelled, surrounded and shelled by Russian artillery for more than 10 days. It has become a dark symbol of Ukraine's suffering in the 20-day war.

Residents of the port city describe the situation there as "hell on earth", with no food, no electricity and forced to drink water from radiators. Local officials said more than 2,300 people had been rocketed and shelled before the theater attack.

Serhiy Kralya after surgery at a hospital in Mariupol (AP)

Russian troops also took hundreds of people hostage at the Mariupol hospital and used them as human shields, local authorities said. Bodies were buried in ditches across the city, and bodies were scattered on the streets.

The latest outrage comes on a day of diplomatic developments.

Ukraine-based Volodymyr Zelensky appeared before the U.S. Congress via video link, citing Pearl Harbor and the 9/11 attacks, pleading for more guns and tougher sanctions on Russia, saying: "We need you now."

International pressure on the Kremlin deepened when the International Court of Justice ordered Russia to halt attacks on Ukraine, despite